


The Kreizler Institute | The Alienist + Mphfpc

by DarkGuardian15



Category: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children - Ransom Riggs, The Alienist (TV), The Alienist - Caleb Carr
Genre: Alternate Universe, Crossover, Fanfiction, Fantasy, Friendship, Science Fiction
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-08
Updated: 2020-10-26
Packaged: 2021-02-27 08:42:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 21
Words: 49,508
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22174255
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkGuardian15/pseuds/DarkGuardian15
Summary: Jade goes to New York City for vacation in hopes that she can finally take a break. During her adventure, in the city that never sleeps, she ends up stumbling upon something she never thought was possible. Deep down she wants what she finds to be real even if it seems like something out of a fairytale... like something out of her own imagination. However, she must keep everything a secret or it could turn the entire world upside down.
Comments: 6
Kudos: 17





	1. New York

Jade's POV: 

The sound of rain caught my attention as I got ready for the day. I didn't really have to go anywhere, so I didn't mind that it was raining. After I was dressed I headed downstairs to get something to eat. When I walked into the kitchen I found my uncle Alfius cooking breakfast for us. 

"Good morning, sweetie. How did you sleep?" He asked me curiously with a small smile on his gently wrinkled face. I just got into town last night, so I was still kinda tired but other than that I was doing just fine. "I slept alright." I replied with a smile of my own as I walked towards a cabinet and retrieved a mug from one of the shelves. 

"Good. I'm glad that you decided to take a vacation. You deserve one for working so hard all the time. I just wish that the weather was a little better." He said as he turned his focus on cooking eggs and bacon for us. "It's fine. I actually love the rain; it's good for writing or reading or watching movies." I said as I pouring freshly brewed coffee into the mug I had picked out.

"Best to stick to reading or watching movies. You won't be writing on my watch. That is my what you're taking a vacation from after all." He said, and I knew he was right. I've been burnt out from writing so much. My lack of creativity is my own fault for not being firmer with my publishing agent. All she wants from me are new stories so she can make more money. 

But I didn't start writing for money; I started writing to build interesting worlds and give someone an escape from reality. I pressed my thoughts to the back of my mind and took a seat at the kitchen table. When breakfast was finished my uncle and I ate and talked about various different things. We just wanted to catch up on everything we've missed in each other's lives. 

Once we were finished eating I volunteered to wash the dishes, and he helped dry them. I spent most of the day sitting on the couch watching movies with my uncle, who fell asleep in the middle of The Hobbit. Around lunch time the rain had stopped and some golden sunshine peaked through the thick gray clouds.

"I think I'm going to go for a walk after lunch. Do you wanna join me?" I said, breaking the silence after shutting the tv off. "No, I think I'll stay inside. The damp weather makes my joints hurt." He said and rubbed one of his elbows to show his point. I mad us something to eat for lunch since he was kind enough to make breakfast. 

After I ate, I slipped on a plain black hoodie and headed out. "Stay safe, and don't do anything I wouldn't do." My uncle said, which made me smile. "I promise I'll stay safe, Alfius." I replied with a small laugh. I stepped outside and walked down the steps that lead down to the sidewalk. The streets were full of people going to their destinations. I let out a deep sigh and my breath turned into white mist as it hit the cool air. 

Spring was just starting, but the winter chill hadn't left quite yet. I decided to go to the nearest park, which was too far. I entered the black iron gates of Stuyvesant Park and took in the wonderful sights it had to offer. The budding blooms on trees looked so bright and beautiful against the clouds. The golden light that was peaking through various cracks in the sheet of gray covering the sky looked absolutely brilliant. 

Droplets of water clung to every surface as well. I admired the reflections that were the rain puddles as I walked through the park. Barely anyone was enjoying the bright greens that adorned the place. But it wasn't surprising considering the fact that had been pouring down rain just a few minutes or so ago. I stumbled upon a little pond during my peaceful walk, and smiled when I spotted a couple of water foul floating on the surface. 

A male and female mallard duck were quacking as they moved around the small pond. I wanted to get closer, but I didn't want to scare them away so I stayed where I stood and just watched them. A few moments passed before I decided I should be on my way. After leaving the park I walked around the little neighbourhood near the park. One of the houses on the opposite side of the street I was walking on caught my attention. 

When I looked up at the windows I spotted someone looking out of one. It took me a moment to realize it was a boy; he looked no older than sixteen years old. There wasn't anything very significant about him except for the clothes he was wearing. They looked like they weren't from this era, in fact... they looked as if they were from the nineteenth century. 'Maybe they're cosplayers or something.' I thought inside of my head. 

The boy must have sensed that someone was watching him, because he turned his head in my direction. As soon as he spotted me he quickly stepped away from the window and violently pulled the curtains closed. I hoped I didn't make the boy uncomfortable. I was really only admiring the architecture of the home. I pressed my thoughts to the back of my mind and went on my way. Instead of going straight to my uncle's place, I spotted an old secondhand bookstore. 

The cozy little shop was just calling my name, so I had to go in and look around. When I opened the door a small bell rang letting the store clerk know someone had came in. "Good afternoon, welcome to Millard's Secondhand Books. If you need anything just give a shout." An ancient looking man said with a kind smile. He would have been just as tall as me if he wasn't hunched over so badly. 

The white hair on his head was sticking up at odd angles as if he hadn't brushed it in ages. A set of very thick, round glasses were sitting on the bridge of his crooked nose as well. His misty blue eyes were magnified ten fold, giving him this bug like quality. I nodded slightly to let him know I understood him. Then I turned my attention to the many dusty books that were occupying the shelves. 

The shop was eerily silent; not like the silent atmosphere one would find in a library. It was like the quietness had a heaviness to it. The old floorboards didn't even creak like I had expected them to as I walked forward. It was as if the entire place was holding it's breath... waiting... like a sleeping dragon guarding it's precious gold. 'You're just being silly, Jade. The only reason you're thinking about dragons is because you just finished watching The Hobbit films.' I thought inside of my head as I turned to my right and headed down one of the isles. 

I studied every book spine my eyes raked across and pulled various books off shelves to see if they were worth buying. Time seemed to stand still as I looked around that little shop. Eventually something did peak my interest. A slim black leather book caught my attention. The image of a bird with a pocket watch in it's beak and a snake in it's talons was encircled by an elegant oval; the engraving in the leather was done in gold. Tales of the Peculiar | Millard Nullings was etched on the spine. 

Other than that there was no other writing on the book whatsoever. 'Take it. It has been waiting here just for you.' A voice said inside of my head like it does every time I find a wonderful book. I finished looking around and walked up to the clerk desk, ready to make my purchase. "Did you find what you were looking for?" He asked me curiously as I handed him the book I had found.

"Well, I wasn't really looking for anything. I think it found me to be honest." I replied with a small smile and his eyes sparkled. He placed the book in a brown paper bag before I handed him the money to pay for it. "You have a lovely day, and enjoy your book." He said as he handed me my change and receipt. "Thanks you have a lovely day as well." I replied before leaving the shop and finally heading back to my uncle's place. 

When I entered the house I could hear that my uncle was on the phone talking to someone, so I tried to be as quiet as possible. I took my wet shoes off before heading upstairs to my room. Once I removed my hoodie I sat down on the bed and took the book I had bought out of the bag. I was just about to open the front cover when there was a knock on the door. 

"Jade, is that you? I thought I heard you come in." Alfius said on the other side of my bedroom door. "Yeah, it's me." I replied. "Good, because I have an old friend that's coming over for dinner tonight. I think you'll like him." He said and I suddenly got nervous. I've never met any of his friends before even though I've known him literally all of my life. I just suddenly realized that for some reason and I couldn't help but realized how odd that was. 

But I sat my new book aside and pressed thoughts to the back of my mind. I knew I'd have to help Alfius cook dinner but I didn't mind. I actually enjoy cooking, which is a plus when you live on your own. It keeps you from eating fast food all the time. Together we made some kind of french dish I couldn't even pronounced. I was glad my uncle was there to help and guide me through making it, because if I didn't have him I would have messed up spectacularly. 

"I'll have to show you some new dishes to make so you don't get bored when you go back to Maryland." He said with a small smile as we started cleaning up a little. "I'd appreciate that." I replied happily. I wiped some sweat from my brow just when the doorbell rang, and my stomach filled with anxiety. "That should be him. I'll get it." My uncle said before he went off to answer the front door. I took a deep breath and hoped his friend wasn't too fancy, especially since I wasn't dressed up in the slightest. 

I had on a pair of black jeans and a plain black t-shirt that was a little too big for me. But that's just my style; I actually hate tight fitting clothes. I could hear another male voice talking with my uncle, and I hoped this guy was nice... whoever he was. "Here she is. Caleb, this is my niece Jade." Alfius said, introducing us. I was absolutely dumbstruck because I knew the mad who was currently standing in front of me. 

It was one of my favorite authors in the whole world... Caleb Carr. He was much taller than I expected, which was a little intimidating. It took me a moment to realize he had his hand outstretched for me to take, and I felt like a complete idiot. "Hi. I... I'm really big fan of your work." I said. To say that I was nervous is an understatement. We shook hands and politely smiled at each other. 

"Thank you. Your uncle told me you were a writer, but he never mentioned that you're a reader of my work." He replied as we let go of each other's hands. I mentioned that my uncle probably didn't even know that I read his books. Alfius went into the kitchen to get us something to drink while we waited on the food to be done. The two of us made small talk and he asked me which of his books were my favorites. 

"I love The Alienist and The Angel of Darkness. Your characters in those stories are so likable and interesting. My favorite character is Dr. Kreizler." I said, blushing a little. My introduction to those works of writing started after I had seen the tv adaption of The Alienist. While I watched the show I kinda developed a crush on Kreizler; not to mention the fact that I developed a crush on Daniel Brühl in the process. He is the actor who plays Dr. Kreizler after all. 

But I fell even more in love with the character when I finally read Caleb Carr's books. "Most people tend to like the other characters more, but that just proves your uncle right. You are different from other people." Mr. Carr said with a small smile on his face. As we talked I wondered how much my uncle actually mention me to his friends here in New York. But I guess I'd soon find out over dinner. 

++++++++++++++++  
A/N: Thanks for reading!! This is my first crossover fanfiction, so I hope you guys enjoy it.


	2. Tales of the Piculiar

Jade's POV: 

The dinner with Caleb Carr and my uncle was lovely last night. I got to get to know one of my favorite authors, and he gave me great writing tips! After our guest left my uncle and I were up until midnight washing dishes as well as cleaning the kitchen. So it wasn't a surprise when both of us slept in a little late. 

I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and stretched before getting out of bed. Once I got dressed I walked downstairs to find my uncle just starting to brew a pot of coffee. "Good morning, Jade. I hope you slept well." He said with a small smile. "Good morning. I slept great. I don't think I woke up once during the night; I must have really been tired." I replied with a slight laugh. 

He decided to cook breakfast and I looked out of the kitchen window, which overlooked my uncle's small flower garden in the back yard. The sky was a beautiful blue with fluffy white clouds floating around. A golden sun was shining brightly as well, making everything really look like spring. The best part was that the temperature was a little warmer than yesterday. 

'Maybe Alfius will want to join me on a walk today or something.' I thought inside of my head as I noticed the coffee had finished brewing. I poured both of us a cup before I sat down at the kitchen table where I are dinner with Caleb Carr last night!! I honestly don't think I'll ever get over that as long as I live. 

"Could you go and get the newspaper off of the doorstep, please." My uncle said, taking me out of my thoughts. "Sure." I replied. I walked over to the front door and opened it to find a rolled up tube of newsprint laying on the doorstep. When I reached down to pick it up I suddenly got the strange feeling that I was being watched. So I looked around to see if I could spot out anyone in particular that was looking on my direction. 

After a few seconds or so, I realized that I didn't see anyone really watching me. Everyone was going on about their daily business; but I still couldn't shake the feeling that someone or something was watching me. I pressed my thoughts to the back of my mind before I stepped back inside and closed the door behind me. When I entered the kitchen breakfast was ready. So I filled my plate and joined my uncle at the table to eat and make small talk. 

"So... what do you think we should do today?" I asked him curiously after a few moments of comfortable silence. "We could go for a walk. I'd love to show you around the city a little, especially since it's such a nice day." He replied with a small smile. "That sounds wonderful." I replied happily. After we finished eating I chose to get ash the dishes as he read the newspaper.

When everything was cleaned and put away, I quickly brushed my teeth before we got ready to head out. This was my first time in New York, so I was feeling excited and a little nervous as well. I wasn't entirely sure what to expect. The only thing I've seen so was is Stuyvesant Park and the inside if an old book store. What happened yesterday suddenly came flooding back to me. 

The memories of meeting Caleb Carr completely pushed the events of earlier that day out of my mind, until now. I remembered the young man in Victorian clothing who was standing in the window of one of the houses on East Seventeenth Street. 'Wow, I can't believe I actually remembered the street I was on.' I thought to myself as I got into my uncle's car. 

To be perfectly honest, I thought I'd be seeing New York through the window of a cab. But I didn't mind having the privilege and comfort in being in a private owned car. He took me all over the place. I got to see the most touristy spots as well as the more local gems that get ignored by visitors. Alfius was my own personal tour guide, which made me feel a bit special. I got to see some things that only a handful of tourists ever get to see. 

For lunch we stopped at Cafe Lafayette, which was quite fancy. It put me out of my comfort zone but the owner seemed to know my uncle, so I kinda understood why he chose to eat here. We got a table that was secluded from the other patrons as well. I didn't much appreciate all the sideways glances I was getting from the customers. They were all dressed in expensive clothing while I was wearing a Marilyn Manson t-shirt and a pair of ripped jeans. Not to mention the worn looking combat boots. 

Alfius introduced me to the owner and explained that it was my first time in the city. He said that he would tell the chef to make something extra special for the occasion, which gave me anxiety. Extra special sounded like extra expensive to me. I might be an author, but I don't sell enough books to live the high life. I'm more of a bare bones sort of person when it comes to that kind if stuff. 

I like to live comfortably not extravagantly. But there wasn't any way I could protest against what was happening. I was the one paying for the meal, and I didn't want to come off as rude since my uncle is friends with the staff. So I just sat there and sipped on my glass of water. "What do you think of New York now that you've seen most of it?" My uncle asked, breaking the silence. 

"Oh, I really like it. It has charm and beauty." I replied with a small smile. "Good, I'm glad you like it." He said happily. Eventually a couple of waiters came with out meals, and we dug into the delicious looking food. After we ate my uncle spoken to the chef and owner of the joint. I just sort of lingered in the background... watching. The pair of them gave me great ideas for characters in a book, but I tried not to think about that too much. 

Especially when the characters started to resemble some characters I've already written about. 'I wish I could get some inspiration for new characters.' I thought even though I knew I wouldn't be able to write anything. The writers block seemed as if it was here to stay, and it scared the hell out of me. Nothing is worse when you can't create when creating is you're everything. 

"Alright, you have a wonderful evening. I'll see you guys sometime later this week." My uncle said, taking me out of my thoughts. He had paid for the meals and it was time for us to leave the cafe. We got into the car and I suggested a walk around Stuyvesant Park. I found it absolutely beautiful, and I wanted to appreciate it now that it wasn't cold and raining. 

Since the weather was nice there was a bunch of people milling about. Some were playing with their dogs, others were watching their children have fun, and a few were reading books or newspapers. I was there to enjoy the park and people watch. I also hoped that the ducks I saw last time were there again today, which they were. When we decided to head home I spotted the house I noticed the last time I came to the park. 

"Alfius, what can you tell me about that place?" I asked him when we had to stop for traffic. I wasn't sure if he knew anything about the house, I was just sort of hoping he did. "Number 283, East Seventeenth Street. Well, it belongs to my good friend Caleb... actually." He replied. "It does? Is... is there anyone staying in the house?" I asked with slightly furrowed brows. My first thought was that he had to have someone staying in the house if I saw someone inside it. Unless he has squatters. 

"No. He gave up trying to rent it out a long time ago. I think it's because the locals think it's haunted." He said with a very serious look on his face. Usually I'm the only one who believes in spirits and ghosts, but I guess that's something I inherited from Alfius. It seemed like he too believed the house was haunted. "Does Caleb think it's haunted?" I asked. "Well... not exactly. I mean... he thinks something is there, but he doesn't believe that it's ghosts." He said, giving me a sideways glance. 

Chills ran up my spine as we began to move again and headed back to his place. I'm not sure why, but I got the feeling that he wasn't telling the whole truth. I didn't wanna mention what I had seen yesterday and something told me I didn't have to, because he already knew. But if the house is haunted then why try to hide it? I pressed my thoughts to the back of my mind as we got closer and closer to our destination. 

When we got home he parked his car in his garage and I headed upstairs to my room. Now that I had some time to myself I decided to check out that book I bought at the second hand book store yesterday. I took the book off of my bedside table and opened it. The pages were elegantly illustrated with flourish and gold foiling. The page after the title page had 'To Alma LeFay Peregrine. Who taught me to love tales. - MN' 

Then there was a quote in a language I didn't understand. At first I thought it was Latin but I could have been wrong. But what was the most chilling and interesting was the forward that was printed just after the table of contents page. It said: 

"Dear reader, 

The book you hold in your hands is meant for peculiar eyes only. If  
by chance you are not among the ranks of the anomalous --- in other words, if you don't find yourself floating out of bed in the middle of the night because you forgot to tie yourself to the mattress, sprouting flames from the palms of your hands at inopportune times, or chewing food with the mouth in the back of your head --- then please put this book back where you found it at once and forget this ever happened. Don't worry, you won't be missing anything. I'm sure you'd only find the stories contained herein strange, distressing, and altogether not to your liking. And anyways, they're none of your business. 

Very peculiarly yours, 

The publisher"

I sat there for a few minutes wondering if this was some kind of joke the publisher decided to put at the beginning of the book, or if it was true. 'Am I peculiar?' I wondered curiously to myself. After a little while I decided that I was going to read the thing regardless. After all, I spent money on the thing and I was curious to see what tales the book held inside. What were a few strange and unusual tales going to do to me? Besides, I myself am strange and unusual. 

So I continued reading and found the first three tales very interesting. Especially the tale about The Splendid Cannibals and The First Ymbryne. As I began to start on the fourth one, my uncle knocked on my door and asked what I'd like for dinner. "It doesn't matter." I replied. "If that's the case, grab your jacket, I'm taking you to the best pizza joint in town." He said, which made me smile. 

I sat my book aside before I got up off of my bed and slipped my jacket on. I was heading out of my door before something told me to hide the book underneath my pillow, and so I did. "I hope you weren't writing anything. You're on vacation, you need a break from work." He said as he locked up the house. 

"I wasn't writing anything. I was reading." I replied. When we got into the car my stomach churned like I was going to be sick. But it soon faded away as we headed down the street. I desperately hoped I wasn't coming down with something. 

++++++++++++++++++  
A/N: Thanks for reading!!


	3. Watched and Followed

Jade's POV:

As the weeks went by the better the weather improved, which put me in high spirits. I found myself spending more time at Stuyvesant Park as a result. At this very moment I was sitting underneath a large tree drawing in my sketchbook. Usually I'd be reading in this situation, but something told me not to be be seen out in public with the book I was currently reading. So I followed my gut instincts like I normally do.

The sun was bright and the sky was blue with a few white clouds floating past every once in a while. Due to the warmer weather a good deal of people were walking around the park with their dogs and whatnot. So when I started feeling like I was being watched, I didn't think much of it.

But when the feeling didn't go away I couldn't ignore it. I looked around and caught a glimpse of a man sitting at a park bench not too far from where I was. He had all black clothing on; it looked kinda like he was wearing a suit. I also noticed that he had a walking stick with him that was leaning against the seat of the bench.

'Maybe he's just out people watching.' I thought inside of my head to can my nervousness a little. But I couldn't help but wonder why he chose to watch me out of everyone else in the park. It made me a little uncomfortable to be perfectly honest. Instead of staring at him I turned my attention back to the drawing I was working on. Oddly enough I was drawing the young man I had seen in the window of 283 E, Seventeen Street.

I'm not sure why, but I wasn't able to get the story of that house being haunted out of my mind. It was like some kind of seed that had been planted and now the seed was sprouting roots. I always found ghosts and paranormal phenomenon interesting even when I was a teenager. But what really stuck in my head was what my uncle said that Caleb Carr thought about the house.

Apparently Caleb doesn't think the house is haunted, but he thinks something is going on. 'If he thought he had squatters then why hasn't he contacted the authorities?' Wondered, and that's why I think he knows something about that house that he isn't confessing to. And maybe even my uncle knows about also. I pressed my thoughts to the back of my mind as I continued drawing.

Eventually I glanced back to the park bench and noticed that the man in black was gone. It made me feel less nervous but in a strange was I kinda missed him. On that thought I decided it was probably time to head back to my uncle's place. During the walk back I wondered what we were going to have for dinner tonight.

My pleasant thoughts of delicious food were interrupted when I suddenly got the feeling that I was being followed. 'Great. First I was being watched and now I'm being followed.' I thought inside of my head. I quickened my pace slightly because I didn't feel like getting kidnapped and have something horrible happen to me. I've watched plenty of crime shows and whatnot to know how situations like these end sometimes.

I didn't feel completely safe until the door of my uncle's home was shut and locked behind me. When I walked in I found Alfius laying on the couch taking a nap. I knew he probably didn't intend to fall asleep, but the warm sun from the window is what made him do so. I smiled and decided to let him sleep. Quietly, I headed upstairs to my room to read a tale or two.

As I read I got a strange feeling in my stomach like I had a few weeks before. So I sat the book aside and went into the bathroom. To my surprise nothing happened, but the cramps in my stomach started fading away. 'You're probably just hungry or something. Or maybe you are something that didn't agree with you.' I thought inside of my head as I retired to my bed.

I read three more stories out of Tales of Peculiar before I chose to go check on my uncle. Once I entered the living room I seen that he was awake. "Good evening sleeping beauty." I joked, which made him laugh. "When did you get back?" He asked me curiously as he stretched. "A few minutes or so ago." I replied with a small smile.

"Is that the time? My goodness... how long was I asleep?" He said after he checked the time on his wrist watch. He stood up and placed a hand on my shoulder before he spoke again. "How about we eat dinner at Delmonico's tonight? I really don't feel like cooking and I'm sure you don't either." He said, and I agreed with his suggestion.

After he made himself look less rumpled we got into his car and headed to Delmonico's. One of the restaurants I've come to love during my stay here. Apparently Caleb Carr and my uncle go there often; so often that the employees know them by name. Not to mention the fact that they know what they usually order when they dine there as well. It was a actually kind of amusing.

When we were seated at a table that was off to itself a little, I noticed that some people were talking about the way we were dressed. But it didn't bother me too much. Especially since my uncle was known by the staff. It wasn't like we'd be kicked out for the way we were dressed. But I imagine some places are like that, even I'm this day and age. 

A waiter came by and asked us what we'd like to drink. My uncle ordered a bottle of wine, but I ordered a water instead. "You are old enough to drink alcohol, aren't you?" My uncle joked. "Yes, but I can't have alcohol due to the medications I'm on." I replied. "Oh yeah... I forgot that you're diabetic." He said with a look that said he was sorry. But I knew he didn't mean any harm by the joke.

Some people don't know that alcohol is very harmful to diabetics, because it raises blood sugar levels. And if you aren't careful, it can cause a diabetic to become hypoglycemic. Plus most medication for the disease advises the taker not to consume any kind of alcohol, especially wine. Wine is the worst because grapes are loaded with sugar.

It doesn't really bother me that I can't have alcohol, especially since it doesn't taste very good anyway. My thoughts were pressed to the back of my mind when the waiter came back and took our orders. I was so hungry I think I could have eaten a horse... not literally though. My uncle and I talked about the wonderful weather as well as my lovely afternoon in the park.

I was getting use to the vacation life and I really didn't want to go back to Maryland. But I knew I eventually would, because my parents would be worried if I didn't. When our meals arrived Alfius and I went silent as we enjoyed the delicious food what had been made for us. I think the food is what I'll miss the most when I go back home to be honest, but I'll miss the city and my uncle as well.

'I should try and convince my parents to come and visit New York sometime.' I thought but I knew not to hold my breath. My mom and dad hate city life. I don't mind it, but I do like the advantage I have of being able to get away from the noise and people. After we ate our meals my uncle treated us to dessert. We ended up sharing one because I don't think we could have eaten a whole one by ourselves.

I paid for dinner even though Alfius tried to convince me not to. We were in good moods as we walked out of the restaurant and onto the sidewalk. As we were walking to his car my stomach started cramping again. But this time it was sharp and much more painful than before. It was like my insides were being crushed into a vice. I wrapped my arm around my stomach and leaned against the side of the building. "Jade, what's wrong?" My uncle asked curiously.

I broke out into a cold sweat and was suddenly reminded of when I had my kidney stone back in the twelfth grade. My thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a blood curdling scream; The hairs on the back of my neck to stand on end. The first thing that popped into my head was a mugging or something. But when I turned in the direction of the scream I was horrified by what I saw.

A hugely tall figure was standing in the middle of the street. It looked like the character from the popular creepypasta, Slenderman. Except it was way more frightening. It's skin was a pale gray and long tentacles were protruding out of it's mouth. That's when I noticed that the tentacles were holding something... a girl that looked no older than twelve.

She was still screaming as two of the monster's tentacles entered her eye sockets. The stabbing sensation in my torso suddenly became too much for me to bare, and I emptied the contents of my stomach onto the sidewalk. My vision got blurry but it cleared just as the tentacle monster dropped the girl's body to the ground.

That's when I was aware of the crowd that were screaming all around us. It was like the noise was suddenly turned back on. People were running in fear while others just stood in shock. A determination to go towards the girl urged me to crawl. I could feel my uncle attempting to stop me, but to no avail. The monster was leaving. It climbed the side of a building with ease and quickly disappeared.

When I eventually reached the girl's side I knew she was dead. Her body laid lifeless on the pavement even though there wasn't a drop of blood present. The moment I realized what that creature done to her I started to get tunnel vision. The last thing I remember is total blackness after I felt the warmth of the pavement on my own face.

The sound of beeps and shuffling feet faded into existence as I began to come to. When I opened my eyes I was nearly blinded by how bright my surroundings were. I blinked a few times before my eyes adjusted to the lighting. Then I saw two people seated near the bed I was I laying in. That's when I realized that I was in a hospital. "Alfius... Caleb..." I said, trailing off slightly as I rubbed my eyes.

"She's awake!" I heard Caleb say. "Thank god!" My uncle said. Then I felt a pair of arms gently wrap around me. It took a while for my senses to get fully adjusted to everything. But after some less than satisfying hospital breakfast, I felt fine. A little tired, hungry, and sore but other than that I was feeling pretty good. That's when I asked what had happened and how I got where I was.

Alfius told me about how I suddenly got sick when we were leaving Delmonico's. Then he got a little choked up when he told me about a twelve year old girl getting killed just feet away from us. That caused goosebumps to spread all over my body, and not in a good way. I suddenly remember everything. But what was burned in my memory was the tentacle monster I saw.

"Her eyes were missing." I said softly, and Caleb quickly looked at me with a very serious and intense gaze. It was like he knew of a deeper meaning to what I had just said. And I think he realized that I noticed. "What?" My uncle asked with furrowed brows.

"Alfius, why don't you go to the nearest diner and get us some actual breakfast. I'm sure Jade is starving." Caleb said, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Sure. What do you guys want?" My uncle asked curiously. "I trust you have good judgement." Caleb replied. It was obvious to me that he wanted to get my uncle out of the room as quick as possible. For what? I wasn't exactly sure.

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A/N: Thanks for reading!!


	4. Caleb Carr Has A Secret

Jade's POV:

"Okay, I'll see you guys when I come back." My uncle said as he slipped on his jacket and left the hospital room. The room was silent besides the sound of the machines I was hooked to. Caleb was still sitting in the chair he was in when I woke up. But he slowly got up and walked towards the bed I was laying in.

'I wonder why he wanted my uncle to leave the room.' I thought inside of my head. "Did you say the girl that died was missing her eyes?" He asked me curiously. "Yeah I did. She didn't have any eyes. The monster took them." I replied. His eyes lit up with concern, worry, and intrigue. I wasn't sure why he he was feeling that way.

A part of me though I was going crazy or something. No one else that night seemed to have seen the monster. "Here, look at the front page of the newspaper." He said, handing me a copy of The New York Times. Right on the front page there was an article about what had happened last night. As I read a few eyewitness statements it seemed as if I wasn't wrong when I said no one else saw th monster I saw that night.

No one knew why the girl's eyes were missing. Everyone just seemed to think is was some kind of witchcraft. Others who didn't believe in such things said they wasn't sure what they had seen that night. But one thing was certain... a young girl lost her life too soon. That's something everyone seemed to agree on.

"You said you saw a monster?" Caleb asked, noticing that I had finished reading the front page of the paper. "Yeah. It was very tall with gray colored skin and tentacles were protruding out of its mouth." I replied. A shiver ran up my spine as images of the beast came flooding back to me. "Can you draw it for me?" He asked gently.

That's when I finally made proper eye contact with him. He knew something, and I wanted to know why he was so interested in what I saw last night. "Why? You weren't interested until I said that little girl didn't have any eyes." I said. He let out a deep sigh and ran a hand through his graying hair. I guess he realized I wasn't giving him anymore free information until he explained himself.

"It's hard to explain, and I'm not sure you're ready to hear everything yet. Just... please.... draw what you saw for me and I'll promise I'll tell you everything when you're ready. When you've had time to process what you've already seen." He said with a sincere look on his face. I slowly took the pad of paper and pencil he was holding out for me to take.

I started drawing the tentacle monster I saw last night. I even drew the monster holding the little girl up in the air as it took her eyes. Part of me wanted to believe that was I saw last night wasn't real. I wanted to ride it off on some kind of diabetic problem or something, but deep down I knew it was real. I could feel in my bones that it was real; I just didn't want to admit it.

When the drawing was finished I handed it over to Caleb, and he looked at it briefly before he tore the page from the pad of paper. Then he folded it before tucking it into his inside jacket pocket. Once the picture was put away my uncle Alfius came into the room with bags filled with take out from the local diner.

"I got a bunch of different things in case you wanted some variety." Alfius said with a small smile on his face. "Let's see what goodies you picked out for us." Caleb said, patting my uncle's shoulder heartily. As he showed us what he bought at the diner, I ended up going for the pancakes. I thought the carbs would help since I basically vomited up dinner last night.

My stomach was growling with hunger, but it soon subsided as I ate the wonderful food that was sitting in front of me. Caleb and my uncle talked about various different things that were happening in the news. I think they were trying to avoid discussing what had happened last night, and I was grateful for that.

But I still had questions. Why was I the only one who could see the tentacle monster? Why was I the only one who fell to my knees and got sick all over the sidewalk? None of this made any sense. It felt like I had been thrown into some kind of alternative reality or something. But I knew what I saw and it seemed as if Caleb didn't think I was crazy, so there had to be some kind of explanation for all of this.

When I finished eating I was thoroughly full and satisfied. I just wished I didn't have all of these machines and whatnot hooked up to me. Caleb gathered up the trash from our breakfast feast and discarded everything into the near by trash can. A nurse came in to check all of my vitals. She was very nice and had a kind round face. "When can I go home?" I asked her curiously as she finished.

"I'll have to consult with the doctor before we can release you, but it shouldn't be long now." She replied with a small smile and kind look in her hazel eyes. All I wanted was to go home and relax. Maybe have a nice hot cup of tea and try to process everything that has happened last however many hours.

A few moments of comfortable slice passed by before Caleb spoke up. "I better get home. I have a lot of work to do." He said as he slipped on his jacket. "Oh, and Jade... here's my number. Call if you ever want to talk or if you need something." He said as he handed me a card with his name and number on it.

I thought it was odd that an author would have a business card, especially since I don't have one. But I haven't met many writers who are well established until I met him. Him and my uncle said their goodbyes before he left. Around eleven o'clock the doctor came in and said that I was free to go home.

I changed into some clothes my uncle had brought for me, then we left the hospital. The entire ride back to my uncle's place I looked out of the window. The image of the monster filled my mind again, and it made me shiver. "Are you feeling alright?" My uncle's voice said, taking me out of my thoughts.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I replied with a small smile. I'm entirely sure he believed me, but he didn't press the matter which I was grateful for. Once we got home I plopped down on the couch and Alfius went into the kitchen to make some tea for the two of us. I switched on the tv making sure to avoid all of the news channels.

I was sure what happened last night was all anyone could talk about, especially since it was so strange. I couldn't find anything good to watch so I just sat in silence. My uncle sat in the living room with me as we drank our tea. He was looking at me with mild worry in his eyes. I think he was afraid I was going to have another episode or something.

But when I was finished drinking my tea I decided to go up to my room and read. "If you need anything just yell." My uncle said as I walked upstairs. "Okay." I replied. As soon as I entered my room I sat on my bed and continued reading Tales of the Peculiar. I was almost finished with the book anyway and I didn't have anything better to do.

As soon as I finished reading the book I was filled with an emptiness. It's an empty feeling I always get when I finished reading something good. So I decided to read something else to occupy my mind and time. Even though I already read The Alienist two times, I decided to read it again. It's such a good book and I honestly never get tired of it.

I read a few pages or so in The Alienist and my stomach dropped. "She didn't have any eyes." Is what I said when my uncle mentioned what happened last night. And the children killed in The Alienist... they didn't have any eyes either. A chill ran through my entire body. I was so affected by the connection I made that I closed the book and sat it on my bedside table.

'There can't be any connection between the book and what I witnessed last night. It's fictional... the book is a work of fiction.' I thought inside of my head. But the monster I saw looked like it should have came out of a fictional story, so would it be so crazy if there was a connection? My brain was suddenly working on overdrive. I didn't even noticed that I was staring hard at the wall across from my bed.

Well, I didn't notice until a knock on my door made me jump a foot off of the bed. My heart was hammering in my chest and it took a moment or two to calm down. "What would you like for dinner tonight? I know it's still early, but I want to know what you'd like." My uncle said. "Um... it doesn't matter. I'll eat anything except for sprouts and turnips." I replied, which made him chuckle slightly.

Once I heard him walked downstairs I started pacing the room as I thought about everything. I still felt like I was losing my mind, but I couldn't be... right? Not judging by the way Caleb reacted today. That reminded me to put Caleb's number in my phone. As I stared at the new contact in my phone, I wondered if I should call him.

I honestly would have rather sent him a text message, but I wasn't sure if he was the texting type. After a few moments of deliberation with myself I finally decided on what to do. It still took me a moment to decide on what I was going to tell him thought. It felt kind of odd texting one of my favorite authors. I still wasn't over the fact that my uncle is good friends with him.

Me: Hey, it's me, Jade.

Me: What I saw last night has something to do with The Alienist, doesn't it?

I let out a deep breath after the messages were sent. Knowing it might take time for him to reply, I plugged my phone in to charge before heading downstairs. I had a feeling that Alfius was probably going to order take out instead of taking the energy to cook something. I knew him taking me to the hospital drained him emotionally and physically.

So I hurried into the kitchen to stop him from making anything for us to eat. When I suggested we order Chinese take out he seemed relived that he didn't have to cook. "I'm sorry for scaring you, Alfius. I know that was probably very scary for you." I said, breaking the silence that had settled down around us.

"You don't have to be sorry, Jade. You couldn't prevent what happened to you. I'm just glad you're okay." He replied with a look of happiness and sadness in his eyes. I wrapped my arms around him and gave him a big hug, which he returned. After we broke the hug he grabbed the phone and ordered some food for us.

I was surprised that the day went by so quickly, but it was a rough day after all. I was just glad none of us were hurt. My thoughts went to that little girl's parents and family. It made me sad knowing that her family were ripped apart by her death. And I know it sounds stupid, but I kinda felt responsible for her passing.  
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A/N: Thanks for reading!!


	5. Hollowgast

Jade's POV: 

Weeks went by without any reply from Caleb, but that didn't surprise me. It was obvious he wasn't ready to tell me anything yet. Or maybe he was right... maybe I wasn't ready to hear what he had to say. Either way, it was frustrating to say that least. 

Four more kinds were found dead and all of them were missing their eyes. They news reporters nor the newspapers mentioned a word about missing eyes, but I felt it in my bones. I also had a feeling that the police were baffled by what was going on. Especially since they couldn't see the massive monster that I saw when the first victim was killed. 

But I didn't think that seeing it would have led people to understand it any better than they did now. At least of they could have seen the beast, it would have been clear to them what had been causing the mysterious child murders. Everything seemed to much more complicated now. 

All I wanted was a vacation and here I am in the thick of something I don't even fully understand. I let out a deep agitated sigh as I watched the rain cascade down the windows of my uncle's home. It was April now and most of the winter chill had left, but the rain showers brought some dampness. 

Dampness my uncle clearly couldn't handle, so he had the heat on full blast. It made the windows fog up; it was kinda difficult to see the street because of the mist covered glass. People walking by were just dark shadows to me. One of those dark shadows stopped and stared at the house, which made me a little uncomfortable. 

I wanted to wipe the glass with my hand, but I knew Alfius wouldn't appreciate the streaks it would leave behind. Anxiety built up inside of me as I wondered who was watching the house. It wasn't the first time I caught someone watching my uncle and I. 

Ever since the incident it felt like we were being followed everywhere we went. I don't think Alfius noticed. If he did he didn't mention anything about it. I've been so paranoid that I stopped going out all together. 

I not only have a fear that we're being watched, but I have a fear that I'll see that terrifying tentacle monster again. Plus, I didn't want my uncle getting hurt. Maybe I should have told someone about what I saw, but if I did then I'd probably be given a psychotherapist. 

But... I couldn't be crazy could I? Not when Caleb Carr seems to know something about what I saw, right? At least I hoped not. I didn't want to be admitted into a mental hospital or something like that. 'Stop thinking about stuff like that. You're only making things worse.' I thought inside of my head. 

No matter how much I wanted to forget what had happened and carry on with my life, I just couldn't. What I saw was too vivid in my memory to ignore. The sound of a loud knock at the front door made me jump slightly, and my cheeks flushed with embarrassment. 

I hated being scared by little things, especially since it was just someone knocking at the door. "I'll get it." My uncle said as he got up off of the couch and headed into the foyer. Caleb followed my Alfius into the living room and gave me a sideways glance. 

From the look in his eyes it seemed as if he wanted to tell me something, but he only mumbled a small hello. I have him a small smile in return before turning my attention elsewhere. Honestly, I was a little upset and annoyed with Caleb. 

He hadn't replied to my text messages, nor had he explained what was going on. He knew what killed that little girl... I'm sure of it. I just didn't understand why he hadn't told me yet. 'Maybe he's waiting for the right moment.' I thought, but I was getting impatient. 

I couldn't comprehend why I was the only person who saw the monster that night. I was the only one who witnessed that horrible creature take that little girl's eyes. An image that I doubt will ever leave my mind. I've been having nightmares about the beast as well. Nightmares of it's many tentacles slithering out of its mouth and wrapping themselves around me. 

A shiver ran up my spine, causing goosebumps to spread over my body. "Did you hear me, Jade?" My uncle's voice brought me back down to earth. "Huh?" I replied as I turned to see both him and Caleb looking at me. He repeated himself with a flicker of worry in his eyes. 

Apparently Caleb is wanted to show me some sights around the city that my uncle hadn't already shown me. Deep down I knew it was just an excuse to get me away from Alfius. It was clear that Caleb didn't want my uncle to know anything about what I saw. I honestly didn't blame him. 

So I put on a jacket and a pair of shoes before I left with Caleb Carr walking next to me. He was holding up an umbrella, which we both were walking under. A few moments of silence passed between us before I decided to speak up. "So... are you going to tell me anything?" I said. I really hoped he didn't make me come out on a rainey day just to show me some sights of the city. 

I needed answers. "Yes, but not before we go to one of my favorite cafes. It's very quiet; not many people even know it exits." He replied. A rush of relief and nervousness washed over me when he said that. I was ready to hear some kind of explanation to everything, but I was afraid that I wouldn't like what he was going to tell me. 

A few minutes later we walked into a warm and cozy cafe. The smell of various different blends of coffee filled my nose as we took a seat near the back of the room. A couple of people were sitting by the windows drinking coffee. That's when I realized that I recognized them. I had caught them following my uncle and I a could of weeks ago when we went grocery shopping. 

"Those people were following Alfius and I when we went shopping." I whispered to him. "I know. I had them follow you." He replied, and I was shocked to hear what he said. "What?!" I replied with furrowed brows. "I needed to make sure you two were being protected." He replied. "Protected from what?" I asked curiously. "We'll talk about that later." He said. 

After we ordered coffee and something to eat for lunch, Caleb started telling me some things. He started off by giving the monster I saw a name. Hollowgasts or hollows was what I had seen. "They feed on peculiar children's eyes to help them become human again... well... as human as they can get." Caleb said before taking a sip of his coffee. 

"Peculiar children?" I said in a questioning tone. "Yeah... children with unexplainable abilities. Some would even say supernatural abilities." He replied. He also explained that hollows were once peculiars before an experiment went terribly wrong. They turned into monsters who are invisible to everyone except for people like me. "So... what your saying is that... I'm peculiar?" I asked with furrowed brows. 

Already it was a lot of information and concepts to digest, and I had a feeling that we were just scratching the surface. "Yes. I knew you were peculiar when I met you. I just never thought you'd get thrown into this world as violently as you had." He said with sympathy in his eyes. 

I ended up asking him a bunch of questions, which he answered. He told me that when a hollow consumes enough peculiar souls (which is what hollows eat when they take the eyes of children), they turn into what they call wights. They call them that because their eyes lose all pigment in the iris, making their eyes look white. 

He spoke about yembrynes (the y pronounced like an e), explaining that only females were yembrynes. Those who were gifted with this specific peculiar ability are able to transform into birds and manipulate time. They're able to wipe people's memories in case a normal happens to see something they shouldn't. They can create time loops, which is a day that can be repeated over and over forever as long as the yembryne resets the loop every day. 

"Loops are kind of like safe houses far from the reach of normals, because normals can't enter time loops." He said. I guess he noticed the strained look on my face, because his eyes filled with amusement. It was strange to accept and process everything, especially since it sounded like something out of a fantasy novel. 

But if it were in a book that I was reading, I don't think all of this information would be so overwhelming. At least not to me anyway. I guess knowing something is fiction makes it easier to imagine that it's real. And when it's real it's kinda hard to believe it's real. "So... how do you know all of this? Who told you about everything you're telling me?" I asked. 

I was very curious as to how he came to know about peculiar abilities, hollowgasts, wights, and yembrynes. "That's something to discuss another day. I think you've been given enough information for the time being." He said. "But... I wanna know. I don't think I'll be able to rest if I don't." I replied. 

An amused smile spread across his face and a sparkle filled his eyes. "If you really want to know then I guess I should show you rather than tell you." He replied. We paid for the coffee and food before he mumbled something to the cafe owner. He nodded in response and Caleb told me to follow him, which I did. 

The two of us ended up in the back room where the supplies were, and my ears popped due to a sudden air pressure change. There was a strange tugging sensation where my bellybutton is. It kinda felt like when you're riding a rollercoaster in an odd sort of way. "Here, pick out an outfit to put on." Caleb said as he gestured to a pile of Victorian styled clothing. 

"Okay." I replied after a brief moment of hesitation. I started changing once Caleb had turned around. I felt weird about changing with him in the room, but at least he was kind enough to turn his back. I put on a pair of dark brown pants, a white buttoned shirt, suspenders, a pair of black leather shoes, and a brown overcoat that matched the pants. 

I felt like I was dressing up in a part for a play. "Are you dressed?" Caleb asked me curiously. "Yeah." I replied. "Good. Let's get going." He said. I followed him out of the supply room and found myself in a place that looked familiar but different. It didn't look exactly like the cafe we were supposed to be in. The flooring, wallpaper, and everything was different. 

Instead of going back through the cafe, Caleb went out a side door and into an alleyway near the building. My stomach filled with anxiety and excitement. The smell of horse excrement mixed with the faint smell of gas that you'd put in a vehicle, but it had a different kind of smell to it. I was also aware that it was considerable warmer outside. Not to mention the fact that the sun was bright and shinning. 

There wasn't any sign that it had been raining recently either. It was so warm that some sweat broke out on my brow and I wiped it away. I followed Caleb out of the alleyway and onto a sidewalk. As I looked around and took everything in, my breath was taken away. I wasn't in the city I had been in for the last month or so. The buildings were different and horse drawn carriages were moving up and down the street. 

It wasn't 2020 anymore. I was standing in New York from the 1800's. "So... we... this is a time loop? We just went through a time loop entrance?" I said. I was surprised I actually managed to speak and make a coherent sentence. "Welcome to 1898," He said in a hushed tone. There was a long pause for dramatic effect, which worked. "Come on... there's someone who wants to meet you." He said with a sparkle in his eyes. 

Those words gave me a little anxiety. 'Who would want to see me from 1898?' I wondered nervously as we walked down the street. I could see Stuyvesant, but we stopped at 283 East Seventeenth Street instead. That's when a little bit of panic filled my insides. I knew that house belongs to Dr. Kreizler in Caleb's books: The Alienist and The Angel of Darkness. But in real life it's just a house that Caleb owns.

'Maybe his books are more real than I thought.' I said inside of my head. But deep down I didn't want to believe what I was thinking. We headed up the steps that lead to the front door, but neither one of us did anything. "It's alright. He can show you things I can't even begin to describe." Caleb said softly as he placed a hand on my shoulder to comfort me. 

We stood there on the doorstep for a few more minutes before he broke the silence. "Are you ready?" He asked me curiously with a small smile on his face. I took a deep breath and nodded in response. He lifted his arm and rang the doorbell. Now all we had to do was wait for someone to open the door. 

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A/N: Thanks for reading!!


	6. The Peculiar World

Jade's POV:

Caleb and I stood on the doorstep for a little while before the door opened. A young man I already knew the name of appeared in the doorway. The only reason why I knew him is because he's Stevie Taggert, Dr. Kreizler's ward and carriage driver. He was wearing a blue buttoned shirt and black pants with suspenders. The hair on his head was a light brown just like the color of his eyes. The eerie part is that he looked just like Matt Lintz. Matt is the boy who played Stevie Taggert in the tv show based on Caleb's book, The Alienist.

"Mr. Carr, back so soon?" Stevie said in a questioning tone. There was small smile on his face, but it faded once he spotted me. "I have some things to discuss with Dr. Kreizler. Is he free?" Caleb replied in a calm, yet gently urgent tone. "Yeah, he's free. Let me go and tell him you're here." He said, stealing a curious gaze at me before he motioned for us to follow him inside.

We stopped and stood in the foyer while Stevie went to inform Dr. Kreizler that Caleb was here to speak with him. The atmosphere in the house was a contrast to what it was like outside in the streets. In here it was surprisingly cool and quiet. You could hear the occasional carriage pass outside, but other than that it was quite peaceful. I looked around and took in my surroundings as we waited.

The house looked exactly the way it was in the tv show, and except there were some differences. It closely resembled Caleb's description in his book. I couldn't help but wonder if this place inspired the writing he had done for The Alienist and The Angel of Darkness. My thoughts were interrupted when Stevie came into view and said that the doctor was waiting on us.

A rush of anxiety soured my stomach and my heart beat quickened. I always wanted to meet Dr. Kreizler when I thought he was a fictional character, and now that my wish was coming true I wasn't sure what to think. All I knew was that I was feeling nervous as hell. "Thank you, Stevie. Don't work too hard in the stables." Caleb said as he ruffled Stevie's hair slightly. I nervously followed my writer friend deeper into the house. We turned into a room on the left of the hallway, which was the sitting room. My breath was taken away when my eyes fell upon Dr. Laszlo Kreizler. He was wearing a black suit with a white buttoned shirt.

His dark hair was slightly slicked back out of his face and into a side part. The beard he had only accentuated his handsome features, and I was pretty sure I was staring at him. I couldn't help but to stare at him though. He looked exactly like Daniel Brühl when he played Dr. Kreizler in the tv show. I was starting to wonder if everyone here looked like the actors who portrayed them.

Caleb and Dr. Kreizler shook hands and said their hellos before the doctor's attention turned to me. My heart skipped a beat when we made eye contact. Those big brown eyes of his were breath taking. I felt my face heat up with embarrassment and hoped he didn't really notice it. I tried to avoid eye contact, but I couldn't. I got lost in those captivating orbs; they seemed to be alight with a slow burning black fire in them.

"Kreizler, I'd like you to meet my friend Jade. She's Alfius's niece." Caleb said, introducing us to each other. "It's a pleasure to meet you." He said to me in his pleasant voice. There was a small trace of a German accent, but not one that was overly obvious. The small smile he gave when he shook my hand gave me butterflies. "It's a pleasure to meet you too." I replied shyly. Dr. Kreizler offered us a seat and asked Cyrus's wife to make us a hot cup of tea.

Caleb casually mentioned the fact that I already knew Dr. Kreizler and his friends, because I had read the books he had written. That comment made the doctor glance at me with a look that I couldn't decipher. "So, why have you brought her here? It's obvious you didn't visit me just to introduce us." Dr. Kreizler said with slightly furrowed brows. "She can see hollows, Laszlo. She's how I found out about the hollowgast in present day New York city." Caleb replied, and Laszlo looked at me with an intense fiery look in his gaze.

"I see." Dr. Kreizler replied and bounced his knuckles on his lips as he thought to himself. Just then I realized that Caleb must have came and told the doctor about what I had seen after I drew that picture of the hollow for him. There was a few minutes of silence before Caleb spoke up again. "You know that she's our-" He started, but Laszlo cut him off by holding up one of his hands. "You want me to teach her about piculiardom as well as help her control and master her new found abilities?" Dr. Kreizler asked.

It was obvious that was what Caleb wanted, and it made me nervous. That meant I'd have to leave my uncle's home and visit the 19th century every day. If I start spending hours and hours away from my uncle he'll notice something's up fairly quickly. I was hoping that Caleb had some kind of plan for all of this. "Yes, but only if you're willing to help. I know you're a busy man." Caleb replied. A few moments of silence passed between the three of us before Dr. Kreizler agreed to help.

I ended up agreeing to visit Dr. Kreizler every day, especially since it meant I'd learn more about the peculiar world. And to be honest, I didn't feel like I really had a choice. Being thrown into something like this wasn't something I ever expected to happen. It really did feel like I had been sucked into some kind of fantasy novel. But then something suddenly occurred to me. "What are we going to do about the hollow? It has killed another child, and... I doubt it'll stop any time soon." I replied.

"She's right, a hollow won't stop eating children's eyes to take their peculiar souls until they transform into a wight. We have to do something." Caleb said in a very serious tone. I also saw a faint flicker of fear in his eyes as well. "I'll contact a few people I know who can help with this sort of thing. It won't do much, but it might delay the inevitable." Dr. Kreizler said as he retrieved a notebook from his inside jacket pocket and wrote some stuff down.

"I think I should introduce you to everyone who lives here, especially since we'll be seeing more of you." Dr. Kreizler said to me after Caleb thanked him. We followed the doctor out of the sitting room and into the kitchen, which was through a door underneath the stairs. The smell of delicious food met my nose and made my mouth water. The first thing that caught my attention were two dark skinned children laughing in the company of who I knew was Cyrus Montrose.

Cyrus helped around the house; he's basically the doctor's grounds keeper as well as a part time driver. Plus he'd lend a helping hand at Dr. Kreizler's institute for wayward and abandoned children. Cyrus's wife was standing by the stove cooking what I assumed would be dinner. I assume they sensed our presence, because they turned to look at us. "I'd like you all to meet Jade. She'll be visiting us for a while. I hope you'll be willing to accept her into our home with open arms." Dr. Kreizler said with a small smile.

"Hello, Jade. I'm Trinity Montrose." A beautiful dark skinned woman said with a kind smile. She wiped her hands on the apron she was wearing before extending a hand out to me. "Hello." I said shyly as I shook her hand. "This is my husband, Cyrus as well as my children Elijah and Jasmine." She said, introducing me to her family. "It's really nice to meet you all." I said with a small smile as Cyrus came over to shake my hand as well.

"Mama, papa... is she peculiar like us?" Jasmine asked curiously. "Of course she's peculiar sweetheart. Normals can't enter time loops." Trinity replied as she moved some hair out of her daughter's face. "Can I show her what I can do?" Elijah asked. Both of the children looked about to burst with excitement. And I sort of figured they don't get many guests often to show their peculiar abilities to. Trinity gave Dr. Kreizler a questioning look and he just nodded in response as if she had communicated with him telepathically.

Elijah reached into a small brown burlap bag and opened his small hand to reveal a handful of little seeds. He furrowed his brows in concentration for a little bit before the seeds started sprouting plants. Before my eyes a couple of flowers had grown from absolutely nothing. Jasmine walked over towards the sink, which was filled with water. With a wave of her hand she made the water rise from the sink. She shaped the water into various different shapes. It was like... she was some kind of water bender.

"That... that's really.... wow." I said, absolutely flabbergasted at what I had just seen. It was like they had super powers. Seeing what they could do made me feel a bit insecure about my peculiar ability. All I could do was see hollows, but I guessed that would come in handy for other peculiars as well as normals. The quicker we got rid of the monster the better. I just hoped I could learn fast enough to prevent more kinds from being killed.

"What can you do?" Elijah asked curiously. "Elijah, don't be rude." Trinity said sternly. We said our goodbyes before Dr. Kreizler lead us into the foyer. Deep down I had a feeling that this new chapter in my life was going to be interesting, frustrating, and challenging. "I look forward to see you tomorrow so we can get started." The doctor said as we started saying out goodbyes.

I wasn't quite sure what to say, so I just smiled shyly and hoped I wasn't being rude. "I'll bring her by at around nine o'clock tomorrow morning, Laszlo. I have to give her uncle an excuse as to why the two of us will be spending a lot more time together." Caleb said. "I figured you'd have to come up with something to get her here. Just be careful and make sure Jade is safe; that's the top priority." Dr. Kreizler replied. When we made eye contact he gave me an encouraging smile that made me feel a little hope.

After we said our goodbyes we stepped outside and was hit with a wave of summer heat. Carriages and vehicles (known and called motor carriages back then) were moving up and down the busy street. I took in my surroundings one last time before we entered the cafe we used to get here. When we walked in there were a few customers eating and talking to one another. Caleb and I managed to slip into the back room where we changed back into our modern clothes.

I felt the same sensation like before, kinda like I was on a roller coaster. That let me know we had just left the time loop. The two of us walked out into the now busy cafe in present day. I was back in 2020 rather than 1898. Being back to the New York I've been able to explore over the past few months felt weird. It was like my entire life had changed, which it had. But this was a change no one would understand. I don't even think I could tell anyone what had happened to me to be honest. The peculiar world was made for peculiar people and peculiar people only.

Normals couldn't know of it or even see it. That meant I had to keep a huge secret from my uncle... from my entire family. I had no idea what was in store for me now, but I was ready to face it. At least I think I am. No one can be completely sure though. I pressed my thoughts to the back of my mind as Caleb opened his umbrella and we stepped out onto the sidewalk. It was much cooler here.

The rain had made the temperature drop as well as the fact that the sun was lower in the sky. As we walked I looked around at all of the oblivious people walking by. Most likely none of them knew anything about the world I had just been to. 'Now I know how witches and wizards felt in Harry Potter.' I thought inside of my head. "Are you alright? I know this a lot to process for one day." Caleb said, breaking the comfortable silence.

"Huh? Oh, I'm fine. I'm just nervous about tomorrow." I said, which wasn't a lie. This was a lot to process, but I knew I had to accept everything even if it didn't make total sense. I could process everything later when I had the time to. Right now my concern was of the children being killed in the present day. "The case you wrote about in The Alienist... that was real wasn't it? And the killer... he wasn't human at all was he? He was a hollowgasts?" I said.

"It was a real occurrence that happened to Laszlo and his friends. And yes... the killer was a hollow that consumed enough peculiar souls to turn into a wight." He replied. 'That would explain why the killer didn't take the last victim's eyes.' I thought. Our walk plunged back into silence as we approached my uncle's home. I knew he'd wonder where the two of us had been, and I hoped Caleb had some kind of excuse in mind. I knew I wouldn't be able to construct a believable lie of my life depended on it right now.

I unlocked the front door with the key my uncle gave me. When we walked in he bombarded us with questions. "Alfius, calm down. We're fine, I showed her a bunch of my favorite little nooks for writing. Then we went to an art gallery. We just lost track of time." Caleb said, and my uncle seemed to believe him. "I made dinner for us. I hope you're alright with lasagna, salad, and garlic bread." Alfius said. I hadn't realized how hungry I was until then.

The three of us sat down at the dinning table and ate as Caleb and I fabricated lies about our outing. After desert, I took my medication and we relaxed in the living room for a while. Then Caleb made up a class he wants to take me to; a place where it teaches writers how to relax instead of having a busy mind all the time. "That'll be great for you, Jade. I really think you should go." My uncle said, sealing the deal. I officially had an excuse to leave the house and visit 1898 every day.

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A/N: Thanks for reading!! I really hope you enjoyed this chapter!


	7. Getting To Know Them

Jade's POV:

The sound of my alarm going off jolted me awake. I surprisingly slept last night, but it was anything but restful. My dreams were plagued by hollowgasts and dead children. Bits and pieces of my nightmares came flooding back to me as I rubbed the sleep from my tired eyes. Once I was able to see, I got out of bed and started getting changed.

Caleb would be coming by any moment to pick me up, and I didn't want to make him wait. I ended up putting on a plain black shirt, black jeans, and black converse shoes. There wasn't any point to dress in my favorite or best cloths. I'd end up having to change into Victorian clothing in a little while anyways. As I got ready I thought about everything that had happened to me yesterday. None of it seemed real, but I knew it was.

'I should probably take some things with me.' I thought inside of my head. I grabbed my olive green corduroy styled backpack and put a few thing in it such as my diabetic medication, my journal, a new spiral notebook, some pens, and Tales of The Peculiar (The book I had gotten from that second hand book store). After what I had learned I figured that store was run by a peculiar; that book wouldn't have been there otherwise. Then I headed downstairs to find my uncle in the kitchen.

He was drinking a cup of coffee and reading the morning newspaper. "Hey, are you ready for that writing class Caleb is taking you to?" He asked, and I almost blew the cover story Caleb and I made up last night. "Oh, yeah." I replied with a small smile, one which he returned. I felt guilty about having to lie to my uncle, but he couldn't know anything about what was going on; he probably wouldn't believe what I said if I told him anyway.

The two of us talked about the improving weather and what had been happening in the city. Apparently a couple of kids disappeared last night without a trace or shred of evidence. A chill ran through my body, because I knew it was the hollow. Hearing that more innocent children were being killed made me sick to my stomach. I felt like I was just letting these killings happen when I could do something to prevent them.

But I knew I couldn't do much without fully understand my abilities. Just being able to see the monsters didn't mean I was capable of defeating one. The sound of the doorbell took me out of my though induced daze, and I figured it was Caleb. My writer friend followed Alfius into the room and I started feeling a little nervous. I didn't want to let him down... I didn't want to let anyone down, especially since they need my help.

"Are you ready?" Caleb asked me curiously. "Yeah, I guess so." I replied as I stood up. My uncle told us to be careful and we promised we would. Caleb and I quietly walked down the street like we had done yesterday. People were milling around like always. Some actually had places to go and be, but others didn't. But the panic that had risen from the hollow attacks was obvious now more than ever. I had a feeling that this problem was going to get worse before it got better, and that scared me.

When we entered the cafe that housed the time loop, we took a seat at one of the tables. "I thought we could get something to eat for breakfast before going through." Caleb said as he settled down into his seat. A waitress came over and handed us breakfast menus. I ordered waffles with fresh fruit and a cup of coffee. Caleb got bacon, eggs, toast, and hash browns with a cup of coffee. We ate in silence; the only sounds were coming from the other customers.

I slowly ate my food, wondering what Dr. Kreizler and I would be doing today. Deep down I had a feeling he'd be teaching me the basics of the peculiar world and whatnot. In all honesty, I really wanted to know everything I could. I didn't want to do something wrong and get in some kind of trouble. But I doubted I'd get involved with something illegal... at least I hoped I didn't.

Once we finished eating he paid for the bill and I took my medication. Then we headed into the back of the cafe. The feeling of riding a rollercoaster took over as soon as we entered the storage room. My ears popped from the sudden change in air pressure as well. I looked through the collection of Victorian clothing that was available and picked something out.

I put on a pair of black shoes, black pants, a white buttoned shirt, and a dark brown overcoat. I really didn't want to put the overcoat on due to the summer heat in the loop, but I knew it would help hide my figure. I hate dresses and there was no way I was going to wear one. Besides, I'd rather die than to have to wear a corset. I quietly thanked time for letting corsets to go out of fashion as well as societal norm. After Caleb and I were dressed, we left the cafe and entered the humid streets of New York in 1898.

"I won't be accompanying you at the doctor's home today, Jade. I... hope you won't be mad at me for not telling you earlier." Caleb said, breaking the silence that had settled down around the both of us. "What?" I asked him. I assumed that he'd be present during the entire time I'd be here. It's not that I didn't trust Dr. Kreizler or the others at his home, I just... would have felt a little more secure I guess. "Laszlo has set up meetings with other important peculiars for me to attend. It's crucial that the right people know about what's happening in the present." He replied.

"It's fine. I understand." I said, but I couldn't help but feel more uncomfortable than I already had been. As we got closer to our destination I suddenly wondered if I'd get to meet Sara Howard and John Moore, or the Isaacson brothers even. Thinking about that seemed to melt some of my nervousness away, so I tried keeping my mind on that train of thought for a while.

Caleb only spoke a few words before he left me on the doorstep of Dr. Kreizler's house. I was suddenly aware of how out of place I was and quickly rang the doorbell. The faster I could get inside the better off I was. I didn't want any normals to notice that I was out of place too. Trinity opened the door and gave me a big smile. "Good morning, Jade. Come in out of that heat." She said kindly. I entered the home and she closed the door behind me.

"Caleb had some meeting to go to." I said awkwardly as I admired her beautiful burgundy colored dress. "Yes, the doctor said you'd be arriving here alone." She replied with a kind look in her light brown eyes. Instead of leading me into the sitting room, she told me to follow her into the kitchen. This time her children were playing in the backyard with Cyrus and Stevie. I could hear their laughs from inside, which made the place feel homey. It kinda made my uneasiness fade a little.

"The doctor hasn't finished getting things set up for your session quite yet." Trinity said before she offered me something to drink. I declined her kind offer just as Dr. Kreizler walked into the room. He was wearing a black suit like yesterday, but the vest was different and so was the tie he was wearing. "Good morning, Jade." He said with a small smile on his handsome face. "Good morning." I replied shyly and awkwardly.

"If you would follow me we can get started." He replied in his gentle tone. I nodded once to let him know I understood before standing up and following him into the sitting room. He offered me a seat before sitting down in front of me. For a few moments he just looked at me as if he were studying me. It didn't surprise me, because I know he's an alienist. But having him look at me as intensely as he did made me feel nervous.

I wished he would say something just to break the silence. It seemed like quietness had been the theme of the day so far, and I wasn't sure how I felt about that. "I'm sure you feel overwhelmed by everything that had been happening to you. There has been a lot of information presented to you in a short period of time. If you have any questions, feel free to ask them." He said as he crossed his legs and held his left wrist with his right hand.

"This might be a stupid question, but... is... is all of this real? Or is it just happening in my head?" I asked, feeling like an idiot for asking. He chuckled softly before he assured me that all of this is real, and he didn't blame me for thinking it was a fragment of my imagination. Then I started asking him more important questions. I wondered why I could see the hollows and everyone else couldn't.

"Only a handful of peculiars can see hollowgasts, but if someone never encounters a hollow, then that person will never know of their peculiar ability." He replied, which made sense. I didn't know I was peculiar until I witnessed that hollow outside of Delmonico's. Dr. Kreizler explained that this could happen with a lot of peculiars as well. Many go their entire lives without even knowing they have special abilities.

Then I asked him why hollowgasts exist, especially since they turn into wights after consuming enough peculiar souls. "Hollows use to be ordinary peculiars like you and I, but a large group of them wanted to become immortal. They wished to live forever and take over not only the peculiar world, but the normal world as well." He said. Kreizler explained that that group of people collected yembrynes and attempted to harness their power in order to become immortal. But the experiment went wrong.

A large explosion happened and triggered a loop to collapsed. Those who survived gained immortality, but they were no longer human. They transformed into ghastly beasts knows as hollowgasts. "But they found out they could change back into a human being if they are the eyes of peculiar children... taking their peculiar souls." I said, and Kreizler nodded in response. "Grim, I know. But just like the normal world, we have ugly histories and bad people who do bad things." He said with a pensive look in his eyes.

He answered some of my minor questions as well before I opened my backpack and retrieved The Tales of The Peculiar. I asked him if he knew about the book, and he said that he had. Apparently it was a shorter and portable version of a much larger volume. "Millard Nullings. I've had the pleasure of meeting him, he's a bright young man; very intelligent when it comes to mapping and lithography. He's totally invisible by the way... well... only when he isn't clothed." The doctor said with a slight chuckle.

That answered another question I had. The book was a part of this peculiar world. It gave me chills. After a few more moments of talking, I followed Dr. Kreizler upstairs to his study where he had several books laying about. Each wall was covered with a bookshelf filled with all sizes of books as well. "I hope you like reading." He said with a smile as he buried his hands in his pants pockets.

"Luckily, I do enjoy reading." I replied with a smile of my own. "I'll be assigning passages for you to read while you're in the present day. For now, the lessons here will be more... hands on. Although, today you'll find yourself doing a lot of note taking." He said with a small smile. A rush of excitement filled my insides. It sounded cliche to compare how I felt to Harry Potter again, but I couldn't help it. I imagined the excitement I was feeling had to be close to how most first year students at Hogwarts felt. Especially for the muggle born witches and wizards.

I pressed my thoughts to the back of my mind as I put the books he handed me into my backpack. When I lifted it I was sadly reminded of my high school years. I think carrying around lots of heavy books is something everyone can relate to though. "Come with me, I want you to speak with the others." He said, and I did as he told me. When we stepped out into the backyard I saw Cyrus sitting underneath a large tree with his adorable children.

"Is there anything I can do for you doctor?" Cyrus asked in his deep baritone voice. "I'd like for Jade to get more acquaint with everyone here. After lunch I can bore her with the history of piculiardom." Kreizler said with a small smile that didn't last very long. "Of course. Come here and have a seat in the shade." Cyrus said kindly. I sat down next to him and his children. Elijah and Jasmine were drawing in separate little sketchbooks.

Dr. Kreizler left us alone and Stevie joined us a few moments later. I'm sure they felt odd having someone from the present day in their lives. Especially since they know nothing about me. I wasn't even sure if they knew anything about the modern world. But I guess that's why the doctor wanted us to talk instead of diving into my studies. "So, what kind of peculiar ability do you have?" Stevie asked me curiously after a while of awkward silence. "I can see... the monsters." I said. I didn't want to say hollowgasts, because I was worried that it would scare Cyrus's kids.

"No wonder Caleb brought you here to see the doctor." Cyrus said, giving me a look I couldn't decipher. I asked them about their peculiar abilities since I was willing enough to tell them mine. Stevie had the ability to stretch like a rubber band, which he demonstrated for me. It reminded me of Mr. Fantastic from the fantastic four, except Stevie had elasticity in his legs and torso as well as his arms. 'I bet that's why he was such a skilled house breaker.' I thought as I remembered his backstory from Caleb's book.

Cyrus's ability was a bit more complicated. He could take out people's nightmares and bad memories, just like one of the kids in The Tales of The Peculiar. But he couldn't practice his abilities, because it was too dangerous. The nightmares and bad thoughts would accumulate and turn into a monster. "The last thing the peculiar world needs is another monster." Stevie said, and Cyrus agreed. "Tell him what mommy does. She'll be interested in that." Elijah said, who I suspect was listening to us the entire time. "Trinity is an yembryne. She made and maintains this loop we're in." He said with a small smile on his face.

"We were all sceptical at first, but... creating a loop was for the best. This way the doctor has the opportunity to help as many peculiar and non peculiar kids as he can." Stevie commented. But I figured a loop also has its disadvantages, especially since it's September 3rd 1898 every day. I asked them a few random questions about themselves and in turn I opened up to them. They seemed like really nice and accepting people. I guess all peculiars are a little more accepting than most normals are. "Do you stay the same age as the day the loop was made?" I asked stupidly. Of course they didn't age. If they did they probably would be alive right now.

"Well, we still get older. We just don't look it so to speak." Stevie replied and Cyrus nodded. Eventually we watched Jasmine and Elijah play in the yard. Elijah used his peculiar abilities to grow some flowers in a near by flower bed. Before I knew it, it was lunch time. All of us ate at in the dinning room where I was bombarded with questions about the present. It was strange seeing people fascinated by what I've gotten accustomed to as normal every day things. It kinda put life into perspective for me.

Once lunch was over I helped Trinity and the others clean up, and Dr. Kreizler didn't seem to mind that I was procrastinating. I guess he saw it as bonding, and he wasn't wrong. "Not today, Jasmine. Jade has a lot of studying to do." Trinity said with a small amused smile. Jasmine wanted her mother to turn into her bird form. Apparently she could transform into a sparrow, which is one of my favorite birds. I said so, which seemed to flatter Trinity. When everything was clean and put away, I followed Dr. Kreizler up to his study. "Alright, let's get down to business." He said, and I smirked. 'To defeat the Huns. Did they send me daughters, when I asked for sons?' I sang inside of my head.

I knew he wouldn't understand the reference to Mulan, so I didn't say anything out loud. I sat down in a comfortable chair as he wrote on a medium sized chalkboard that was situated behind his desk. 'This really does feel like school, but... cooler.' I thought as I began to take notes in the spiral notebook I had brought with me. Deep down I was glad I had came prepared. I knew this would be a long process, but I was excited about learning. It was as if a new purposes was ignited inside of me like a burning flame. I just hoped I didn't get discouraged and have that flame get blown out.

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A/N: Thanks for reading!!


	8. We're On Our Own

Jade's POV:

Weeks passed and I was starting to lose some of my momentum. After long hot days of studying I'd have to go home to read chapters and chapters out of thick books such as: A Peculiar History, Map of Days, and several others. It really felt like I was back in school. I barely had time for myself. My vacation didn't feel like a vacation anymore. But the worst part is having to hear of more kids disappearing and getting killed. "Did you hear me?" Laszlo's voice took me out of my trance.

I hadn't realized that I zoned out. For the past fifteen minutes I wasn't even listening to what he was saying. "I'm sorry. I... I wasn't paying attention." I replied feeling guilty. He was kind enough to take time to teach me the ways of the peculiar world, and here I am zoning out in the middle of a lesson. "No, don't be. You've been working very hard here and at home. Caleb told me that you've been reading and studying during breakfast every morning." He said and I rubbed my tired eyes. It was like everything had been catching up to me.

"I think we should take a break. Maybe we could go for a walk in Stuyvesant Park; it'll help us both clear our minds." He said with a small, quick smile. I didn't want to stop learning what he was teaching me, but I knew he was right. I needed a break from everything. I haven't really had time to process everything. Things were moving so quickly that it felt like forever since I saw that hollow outside of Delmonico's. Yet sometimes it felt like just yesterday I was in the hospital with my uncle and Caleb by my side. I closed my books and notebook, but I left them where they were.

Dr. Kreizler lead me downstairs. He stepped into the kitchen while I stayed in the hallway. "I told Cyrus that you and were heading to the park." He said, and I nodded to let him know I understood. He was holding a brown wicker basket that I noticed, but didn't ask any questions about. I followed Kreizler through the front door and outside onto the sidewalk. The summer heat hit me like a tone of bricks. Lucky for me, I was wearing light colored clothes. I silently wondered how Dr. Kreizler could handle wearing a full black suit in this heat. But I figured some people in my life would think the same thing about me.

Especially since I wear black shirts and black jeans most of the time all year round in my day to day life. But still... Victorian clothing is made from thicker material. Dust was kicked up from many carriages and motor carriages that were passing us on the street. A bright sun was beating down like every day. Beads of sweat to break out on my brow and I used my sleeve to wipe them away. When we reached the park we walked around for a bit, but eventually he lead me to a large maple tree and opened the wicker basket he had been carrying with him. He retrieved a large medium blue blanket from the basket and spread it out on top of the grass in the shade.

He sat down on the blanket and patted the spot next to him, signaling to that it was okay to sit down. I sat in the refreshing shade of the tree and took my brown overcoat off, leaving me in my shirt sleeves. I noticed Dr. Kreizler study me with his brown eyes, but it didn't make me feel uncomfortable. "Trinity packed us some cold lemonade. She said it's perfect for a hot day like this, and I agree." He said, reaching into the basket once more. He poured us each a glass, and I felt myself relax. I was surprised that there wasn't many people in the park today. But the heat probably kept everyone away. The sound of birds singing distracted me from the thoughts that had been floating around in my head.

"Aren't you sweating in that jacket?" I asked, breaking the silence. "Yes, but..." He trailed off as he glanced at his left arm. "Doctor, I know about your arm. You don't have to hide it from me, it's okay." I said gently, hoping my words wouldn't offend him. He looked at me and blinked a couple of times before he slowly took his jacket off. Then he took his vest off so he too was in his shirt sleeves. After I drank my glass of lemonade, I laid down on my back. The golden sunshine filtering through the canopy of leaves looked beautiful, especially when a light cool breeze rustled them a little.

A monarch butterfly fluttered into my sight, and I pointed it out to the doctor. Its orange wings seemed to glow in the sunlight. When it landed on my nose I giggled slightly. Dr. Kreizler chuckled softly, and it was one of the most beautiful sounds I've ever heard. I glanced over at him and saw his eye sparkle with amusement, and my heart felt warm. Seeing him like that made me smile. He came closer and held out his forefinger to the butterfly, and it crawled onto it. It was the friendliest butterfly I've ever seen in my life.

"It seems like we've made a little friend." He said with a small smile on his face. I sat up and moved closer to watch the insect. The way Kreizler was watching the butterfly made me wish he could have more moments like this in his life. From reading Caleb's book I knew how much trauma and heartache the doctor has been through. I just hoped that he could feel happy and free for once. 'He's so soft.' I thought inside of my head as I watched Dr. Kreizler tall to the little creature. A few more moments passed before the orange colored butterfly fluttered into the air and flew towards a patch of flowers nearby.

When I glanced towards Dr. Kreizler I suddenly noticed how close we were, and my heart skipped a little. We were so close I could smell his comforting scent. He smelled like old books with a hint of cedar wood and just a whisper of lavender. Everything about him seemed to be calming, and it made sense especially since he works so well with children. I understood why so many people were willing to trust him and open up to him with their deepest thoughts and feelings. When he glanced over at me we made eye contact. A warmth filled his eyes as we looked at each other; it felt as if time had slowed down.

"We better get back. If we're late for dinner Trinity will never let us live it down." He said, breaking the comfortable silence. He slipped on his vest and jacket before we packed everything up. The walk back to his home was much like the walk we had to the park, except the sun was beginning to set. But the setting sun didn't bring any relief to the hot temperatures of the day just yet. The smell of delicious food overwhelmed my senses as soon as I entered the front doors, causing my stomach to rumble a little. When I looked at the near by grandfather clock, I was amazed at how much time had passed. It was going on six o'clock, which meant I'd have to go back to the present day soon.

The thought of leaving Dr. Kreizler and the others made me a bit sad. "I'll see if I can convince Caleb into letting you stay for dinner. I hope you'll be able to dine with us this evening." The doctor said as if he had read my mind. "I hope so too, I really don't feel like going back to the present just yet." I replied and a beautiful smile graced his handsome face. The smile reached his sparkling brown eyes, which caused me to smile in return. I was getting use to seeing the doctor and the others. I really hoped our time together wouldn't come to an end too quickly.

I followed him up to his study to pack up my things and head back downstairs to wait for Caleb to arrive. Deep down I hoped I could stay for dinner, but I knew that my uncle might start to worry if I wasn't back before too late. 'He might not worry too much. You are with his friend after all.' I thought inside of my head. The more I thought about my uncle the more I got this unsettling feeling. I just hoped that everything was okay. "That would be lovely. I have a lot to discuss with you anyways." I heard Caleb's voice say from the hallway.

Within minutes we were seated at the dinning table with all the members of the household. The tabletop was filled with mouth watering food, and I was so glad we had decided to stay. After we had eaten our full we started talking about serious matters concerning the hollowgasts problem. Trinity took Elijah and Jasmine upstairs for a bath so they didn't overhear what we were saying. Apparently most of the people who attended the meetings Caleb was going to didn't believe that there was a hollow in the present day.

And the few that did believe him didn't think Dr. Kreizler should be the one to train me. Everyone thought it should be an yembryne's job. "Did you tell them that Trinity is a yembryne?" Kreizler asked, looking agitated. "Yeah, I did... but you know their opinions about her." Caleb replied with a deeply annoyed sigh. I didn't know much about the legal system in piculiardom, but what I heard made me upset. I didn't understand why they didn't want the doctor to help me, and I hated the fact that they seemed to have some king of prejudice against Trinity.

I was starting to get the feeling that we were alone in taking down the hollow I had seen. It empowered me somehow, yet made me nervous at the same time. "Maybe if they met Jade they'd believe that there is a hollowgast out there roaming the streets." Stevie suggested, but Kreizler shook his head. "No, they'd only try and take her from us. It's best if she stays here." He said with furrowed brows. "He's right Stevie. They can't prove she can see hollows without a hollow anyway." Cyrus said. They talked about a lot of stuff I didn't understand, and I wondered if I would ever understand it.

After their talks were over I said my goodbyes to Cyrus and Stevie. "Make sure you tell Trinity and the little ones I said goodnight." I called after them as they ascended the stairs. "I will. See you tomorrow, Jade." Cyrus replied. "Yeah, see you tomorrow." Stevie said with a small smile. Dr. Kreizler followed Caleb and I out onto the front porch where they exchanged some last minute words with each other. "Tomorrow we'll take out learning elsewhere. I think the heat in my study is getting to both of us." Kreizler said, which made my spirits rise. "Hopefully I'll be able to focus a bit better tomorrow then." I said with a small smile.

Once the three of us said our goodbyes, Caleb and I walked down the lamp lit street towards the loop exit. Thankfully a peculiar was guarding the cafe on both ends of the loop, otherwise we would have probably been charged with breaking and entering. When we reached my uncle's home a feeling of dread filled my stomach. "Caleb... something's wrong." I said when I noticed the front door was wide open. A few lights were on inside, which made the torn curtains all the more visible. The eerie part was that no one was on the street; not a single car came past.

"Can you feel any hollowgasts nearby?" He asked in a hushed tone. I suddenly realized that it wasn't just dread that I was feeling, but a strange tugging... swirling sensation. Almost like a compass needle moving frantically. It was different compared to what I had felt outside of Delmonico's when I saw a hollow for the first time, but I knew that was what I was sensing. But the thing felt far away... distant. "It was here, but it's gone." I said in a detached sort of tone that surprised me. "Okay... stay close to me. We're going in." He said, and he lead the way into my uncle's home.

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A/N: Thanks for reading!!


	9. The Fallen

Jade's POV:

"What's that stench?" I asked curiously as we entered my uncle's house. I looked around and the entire place was trashed; it looked like a robbery gone very wrong. And then I saw it. Puddles of black goop that smelled like a thousand dead corpses. "I don't smell anything." Caleb said with furrowed brows. "Can't you see those black puddles everywhere? They smell like rotting animals but worse." I managed to say before I stifled a gag by covering my nose and mouth with my arm.

"It must be hollowgasts blood or something. That would explain why only you can see and smell it." He replied. As we walked around I made sure to guide him through the rooms so he didn't step in the inky black muck. When we entered the kitchen my heart dropped into my stomach and I froze where I was. Alfius was laying on the kitchen floor with his limbs sprawled in all different directions. "It took his eyes... didn't it?" I asked. I didn't dare get close. I didn't want to see it. "Let's go upstairs.... collect your things. Then I'll call the police." Caleb said.

I was all for collecting my belongings, but I didn't see what good calling the police would do. The safest thing to do in my mind was to go back into the loop. If wights were following me then I couldn't evade them. I can avoid the hollow though. Hollows can't enter loops unless they're surgically modified. It would need a peculiar's soul injected into it like some kind of serum. And that procedure is very complicated. But I knew I should do what Caleb said. He knew the peculiar world a great deal more than I do.

Plus... I didn't need to become a suspect in the murder of my own uncle. After packing my clothes and whatnot, I joined Caleb on the porch steps as he called the cops. We sat there in silence for what felt like forever. Thick clouds covered the stars and moon, making everything darker than it would have been. "You can stay with me while we get everything sorted out." He said, breaking the silence. I didn't reply. I didn't want to talk at all. Deep down I wanted to pretend everything that happened after we left the loop was a dream.

'This isn't a dream, Jade. You're uncle is dead.' My subconscious said to me. Sirens pierced the air followed by flashing red and blue lights. Police officers combed the area and taped off the scene, but I knew they wouldn't find anything. It would just be like all of those other murders of eyeless children. The two of us were taken to the station for questioning and I complied. Around two in the morning we were able to leave. Caleb and I entered his home and I collapsed on his couch. My life has changed so much that I never expected that my uncle would be killed on top of everything.

"If we just came back earlier, maybe we could have saved him." I mumbled. "Jade, don't blame yourself for this," Caleb said as he sat down next to me. "His death isn't your fault. There's no way you could have known this was going to happen.... come here." He opened his arms to me, and I accepted the gesture. I rested my head on his shoulder as we hugged each other. We were quiet for what felt like forever, before I broke the silence. "Was he peculiar? My uncle? Did he have peculiar abilities?" I asked curiously as the two of us broke the hug. A deep sigh escaped his lips before he ran a hand through his hair and a worried expression took over his features.

"No. I think the hollow was looking for you, which means it is being controlled by wights." He replied, and I suddenly realized that it was probably best that we stayed in the loop longer than usual. Otherwise who knows where I'd be right now. Eventually we said goodnight to each other, but I doubted that either of us were going to get much rest. So I took a hot shower before putting my pajamas on and climbing into bed. 'Tomorrow I'll have to call my parents and tell them that my uncle had passed away.' I thought as I looked up at the ceiling above me. I knew my mom would take it very hard since Alfius is her older brother.

The thought of having to arrange a funeral emerged into my mind and tears started to fill my eyes. This time I let them fall. I didn't hold in the pain and grief that I was feeling. Honestly, I wished I could have been snuggled into Dr. Kreizler's chest just to breath in his comforting scent. As I cried I thought of the doctor and slowly fell into a restless sleep. When I woke up the sun was already shinning through the curtains. I was a little confused when I opened my eyes, because I was in a strange room, but what had happened last night suddenly rushed back to me. The horrific images of my uncle's dead body brought sadness and fear.

I laid there for a while before getting up and changing my clothes. When I walked downstairs I found myself in a very different looking house. It was different compared to my uncle's home. Books were scattered almost everywhere, and I wondered how I could have missed them last night. But I guess I was to upset to notice anything really. I walked around and eventually found the kitchen where a note was left for me to read.

Jade,

I went to tell the doctor that you wouldn't be coming to see him or the others until everything has been dealt with. Don't worry about calling your parents either; I've already told them what happened... well... not all of what happened, obviously. I thought it would be best if you just had some time to process everything without having to break bad news to your loved ones.

P.s. I have the house being watched by a few trustworthy peculiars. If anything happens make sure you communicate with the silver birds.

'Silver birds? What does he mean by that?' I wondered. I sort of just figured he meant tell an yembryne or tell anyone with some kind of silver bird on them. Or... quite literally... silver birds. I walked over to the coffee pot and started making a strong brew. Then I looked through the fridge for something to eat; I really wasn't hungry, but I needed to eat something so I could take my medication. I ended up finding some granola bars in one of the cupboards and decided to have that. As I drank my coffee I went I to the living room where I sat and stared at the wall. I didn't wanna turn on the tv, because I knew what was going to be all over the news.

The memory of Alfius's death was fresh in my mind, and I don't think I'd ever forget it. I knew I wouldn't be able to forget the stench that came along with those memories either. After what felt like ages, the front door opened. The sound made me jump, and I felt like an idiot for being scared. Caleb came in weighed down with an overstuffed wicker basket. "What's all of that?" I asked him curiously. "Gifts from your friends." He replied with a smile. On further inspection I realized that the wicker basket was the same one Dr. Kreizler took to the park us him yesterday. "How were they?" I asked and he handed me the basket.

"They were doing good. After I told them what happened they were obviously saddened and worried about you," He replied as he took his jacket off. "I didn't think they were ever going to let me come back due to all of the stuff they packed that basket with." The two of us sat down in the living room and I opened the basket Caleb was talking about. I was amazed at all of the goodies that were inside. The smell of freshly made bread filled my nose and caused my stomach to grumble a little. Two little bundles of wild flowers sat on top and Caleb went to put them in water. He sat the small vase on the coffee table, which brightened up the room a little.

Underneath the loaves of bread was a couple of stacks of cookies wrapped in a brown paper bag. Then I found an envelope on top of a soft dark green blanket. "We can make some good sandwiches out of this." Caleb said as he took the bread into the kitchen. Oddly enough my appetite started coming back, which I was thankful for. Once everything was taken out of the basket, I decided to read the letter that was inside of the envelope.

Dear Jade,

Caleb told us of the horrible fate that has befallen your uncle Alfius. You have all of our deepest condolences. If you need someone to talk to, don't hesitate to come and talk to anyone of us. We're your friends and we care very deeply for you even though we haven't known each other long. I feel I should mention that the baked goods are from Trinity, but the cookies were Stevie's idea. Elijah and Jasmine sent the bundles of flowers. Cyrus supplied the blanket; he figured you could use it if you're ever feeling sad or lonely. I apologize for not finding something to give you other than this letter, but I think my words might suffice as some form of comfort for you. I want you to know that It's okay to grieve for those you love and that you aren't alone in your sorrow.

Sincerely,   
Dr. Laszlo Kreizler

His letter comforted me more than I think he'd ever truly know. And all of the nice little gifts from the others made me feel loved and cared about. I felt tear of happiness fill my eyes and Caleb was quick to come to my side and ask if I was okay. "I'm fine. I just feel so... so loved." I replied. A small smile spread across his face before he wrapped his arms around me. I hugged him back and thanked him for everything he has done. "Alfius was one of my best friends. Of course I'm going to be by your side, especially when you need me the most." He replied, getting a little emotional himself. At one o'clock the two of us made sandwiches with the homemade bread Trinity had given us.

When we finished eating I went into the living room to watch a movie while Caleb made a few calls. I sort of figured I'd be staying inside for a while. If wights were out looking for me with a hollowgasts, it would be safer for me to not go out anywhere until my uncle's viewing and funeral. To be honest I didn't really want to go anywhere unless it meant I could see Dr. Kreizler and the other back in the loop. Deep down I didn't feel like I'd be really safe until I was there. But I couldn't go back until I dealt with things here in the present day. As the movie ended, my phone buzzed which took me a little off guard.

I wasn't surprised when I saw that my mom was calling me. "Hey, how are you holding up?" I asked her curiously. "We're okay I guess. What about you?" She said. From the sound of her voice I could tell she had been crying. My heart hurt for her, because even though I lost my uncle... she lost her brother. They were fairly close even though they hadn't seen each other for a while, and I think that's what made it hurt even more. They didn't even get to say goodbye to each other. I've watched a lot of real murder cases on tv, and now I finally knew what it felt like to have a family member murdered. It was confusing and scary. A sense of hopelessness and helplessness seemed to always be tugging at your heart as well as your stomach.

However, I also felt angry because I knew what had killed him. It made me want to train harder than I ever had before. And I think that's the biggest reason why I wanted to be back at Dr. Kreizler's home. A place I knew I could be safer and a place where I could learn everything I needed to learn. "I'm... okay." I replied with a deep sigh and I knew she didn't believe me. "Caleb called and told you'd be staying with him. We made reservations for a hotel; I think we'll be in New York by tomorrow." She said. The two of us talked and she let me know that they were on the road at the moment. I told them to be safe before we said out goodbyes. I did want them to have safe travels, but I also knew that they could be in danger once they arrived in city.

I didn't want the wights to target them once they see us together; I don't think I could take losing someone else so soon. For dinner Caleb made spaghetti for us, but I didn't eat much. My appetite had faded after talking with my mom. My mind was filled with worried about the ones I love as well as for myself. 'It'll be okay, Jade. The other peculiars will help and protect you.' I said inside of my head as I took my medication. After staying up for a little while I eventually decided to go to bed. I knew I probably wouldn't get much rest, but trying to fall asleep was better than anything else at the moment.

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A/N: Thanks for reading!!


	10. A Somber Reunion

Jade's POV:

The next day my parents arrived to New York. My mom called and let me know which hotel they were staying at, so we could go pick them up. Caleb thought it would be a good idea to take us all out to brunch at one of his favorite diners. I was a little nervous about going out to eat somewhere since wights have been looking for me. What worried me was the possibility of my parents becoming targets once they were seen with me. "It's okay, Jade. We'll be followed by trustworthy and reliable peculiars who will protect us." He said with a hint of sympathy in his eyes. I wasn't completely convinced, but I couldn't just stay home. I needed to see my parents.

So I reluctantly got into the passenger seat of Caleb's car and buckled up. As he drove to our destination I stared out of the window and watched the buildings pass. My mood was at an all time low. Even though I knew I wouldn't get any rest, all I wanted to do was sleep. Once we reached the hotel, we met up with my mom and dad in the lobby. "I'm so glad you're okay, Jade. If something had happened to you I'm not sure what I would have done." My mom said after she threw her arms around me. I wasn't sure what to say, so I just gave her a small smile after we broke the hug. She wiped away a couple of tears that had fallen before Caleb suggested that we head to the restaurant. I made small talk with my mom while my dad asked Caleb of there were any leads into the investigation.

I think the police were scared now that the pattern of child deaths were interrupted by finding my uncle had died the same way. It was obvious they thought there was some kind of disturbed serial killer roaming the streets of New York. In a sense they were right, but there isn't any way of them capturing something they can't see. When we reached the diner we were seated at a booth near the back of the restaurant. As we sat down I spotted some of the peculiars who were making sure we weren't being tracked my wights. A waitress with red hair and green eyes handed us menus and asked us what we would like to drink. Caleb, my dad, and I all ordered coffee while my mom ordered an iced tea.

They discussed funeral arrangements while I stared out the window. The sky was covered in thick gray clouds even though it's not supposed to rain today. A few moments later our waitress came back with our drinks and asked if we were ready to order. Caleb got pancakes, my dad ordered a huge breakfast platter, my mom wanted French toast, and I decided to have a breakfast burrito. I didn't wanna get too much food because I doubted I'd be able to eat it all. My appetite was going up and down from meal to meal, which is kinda unusual for me. Usually I have a great appetite. But I guess nervousness, grief, and worry will do that to you.

"We can go get everything arranged today. The sooner this is over with the better." My dad said, catching my attention. I didn't wanna think about burying my uncle just yet. I still haven't processed his death yet, and judging by my mom's face she was feeling the same way. "Well, I can take you to wherever you need to go today. You two have been driving all of yesterday; you two deserve a break." Caleb said. Our waitress returned with our food and we started eating. I took a few sips of my coffee before I took a bite of my burrito. It tasted good, which seemed to help me get it down. We made small talk as we ate to keep things interesting. When I couldn't eat anymore I reached into my pocket and retrieved my medication. That's when I noticed I needed a refill for my pills. "Um, could you drop me off at the pharmacy today?" I asked Caleb curiously.

"Yeah, sure. What? You need a refill?" He asked with slightly furrowed brows. "Yeah. I hadn't realized until now. I only have a couple pills left." I replied. My parents made the decision to go deal with the funeral arrangements while I went and picked up my medicine. Honestly, I was thankful for that. I didn't wanna sit in some boring office and talk about death all day. So I called in my prescription while my parents went to the bathroom. "I'll make sure someone watches you while we're separated. If anything happens you have my number." Caleb said after I hung up the phone. I nodded in response as I put my phone and pills away. My mom and dad rejoined us before they split the bill.

I was dropped off at the pharmacy and said my goodbyes to everyone. I stood on the sidewalk just to watch Caleb's car disappear amongst the thickening traffic. 'Right, let's get this over with.' I thought inside of my head. I turned and walked into the front glass doors of the building. My nose was hit with that odd smell almost all pharmacies have; it kinda reminds you of a hospital, but not quite. To kill some time I walked through the many isles of medical supplies and over the counter medicines. Then I walked up to the clerk, who was a young woman with brown hair and hazel eyes. "Hello, how can I help you?" She asked. "I'm here to pick up a prescription." I replied. "What's the name?" She asked. "Jade Summers." I replied.

She typed away on a keyboard before she said they had it ready for me. I stood there and waited as she went to the back to retrieve my medication. She returned with a closed white paper bag with several pieces of paper stapled to it. All I had to do was pay ten dollars due to the fact that I wasn't a registered customer or a New York resident. After thanking here and wishing her a good day, I decided to go to Caleb's home. Once I dropped my medication off I figured I might as well go for a walk. I made sure to leave Caleb a note in case he came back before I did. Even though I didn't have any destination in mind, I found myself in Stuyvesant Park.

A few other people were walking their dogs or just enjoying the weather. Even though it was gray the temperature was quite enjoyable. I found a little secluded spot where no one would see me and started thinking things over. I thought about my uncle and all of the good times he and I use to have... about the wonderful time I had spent here with him. The reality that I wouldn't get to talk to him or hear his voice started to sink in. It felt like my world had been suddenly flipped upside down. A lonely broken feeling took over my insides, causing tears to fill my eyes. Since no one could see me, I let them fall. I pulled my knees up to my chest and just cried. I cried until I couldn't cry anymore.

I wiped the tears off of my face with the sleeves of my jacket and just sat there. I no longer had any thoughts in my head or any strong emotions in my chest. As the minutes passed I wondered if could really change anything by visiting Dr. Kreizler and the others. 'Was I just making everyone waste their time?' I wondered. Thinking about the doctor and his friends I remembered the blanket Cyrus had given me. I also remember what Kreizler had said in the letter about the blanket. I slowly got to my feet and walked back to Caleb's house. After seeing that he wasn't home, I tossed the note I had left in the trash. Then I went up to the room I was currently staying in.

I found the dark green blanket and took it down to the living room with me. I laid down on the couch and wrapped myself up in soft blanket Cyrus gifted me. Instantly I felt warm as if someone was holding me in their arms; it felt comforting and cozy. After a few moments my eyelids started feeling heavy. I assume I had fallen asleep, because I woke up to the delicious smell of a roasting chicken. I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and sat up slightly to find Caleb sitting in a nearby chair reading a book. He must have sensed that I was awake, because he moved the book from his face to look at me. "Hey, are you feeling alright? You were asleep when I came home; I didn't wanna disturb you." He said as he closed the book and sat it on the nearby table. "Yeah, I'm fine." I replied.

"Good. I have a chicken in the oven. I'm making some mashed potatoes and green beans to go with it. I thought some good comfort food would be good for the both of us." He said with a small smile. I asked him if my parents were going to joining us for dinner, and he said that they were staying at their hotel instead. I was kind of surprises they didn't wanna come and eat with us, but I guess they were grieving in their own was just as we were. "So how is that blanket Cyrus gave you?" Caleb asked me curiously. "It's wonderful. It really feels like someone's holding you." I replied with a small smile. I ended up helping him with cooking dinner because I figured I should make myself useful.

When the food was finished we filled our plates and sat down at the small kitchen table. The two of us ate dinner, which was delicious. Once we were finished I helped him wash the dishes and put the leftovers away. Then we each had a hot cup of tea as we watched a couple of movies. I kept the blanket wrapped around, but I didn't fall asleep this time. "I hate to bring this up, but... what are you going to tell your parents when they want you to go home with them?" Caleb asked me curiously as I took a sip of tea. His question kinda caught me off guard. It kinda made me wonder if my mom and dad said something to him.

"I don't know. I just know that I need to stay here to find out how to defeat or control hollowgasts." I replied. "You think you're able to control hollows?" He asked with curiosity on his face. "Sure. I mean... if the wights can get them to do whatever they want then... maybe I can too." I replied. He seemed to be thinking about what I had said, and I had a feeling he would talk to Dr. Kreizler about it. I really hoped that I could control hollows since I can see them and everything. If wights can't see them and make them to their biding then it wouldn't be too outlandish to be possible. But I pressed my thoughts to the back of my mind as we continued to watch tv and drink tea.

After the movies ended I offered to clean the cups we used while he did some work. When I was finished cleaning I told him I was going to bed. Since I haven't been getting enough rest, I took Cyrus's blanket with me and intended on sleeping with it. Not only did it make me sleep good, but it also kept my nightmares away. Maybe Cyrus had given it to me for that purpose... especially since taking away people's nightmares is part of his peculiar abilities. I just hoped that it didn't make any nightmare monsters like him and Stevie talked about. I took a long relaxing bath before changing into my pajamas. Then I climbed into bed; falling into a deep sleep.

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A/N: Thanks for reading!!


	11. The Friends of Alfius Bernard

Jade's POV:

A few days went by of spending time with my parents without Caleb, which made me feel a little vulnerable. I just felt safer with him being around after everything that happened. But I knew my parents and I needed to grieve together and not just separately. "So, were you having a nice vacation before... you know... before Alfius passed away?" My dad asked me curiously as the three of us ate lunch together. We were at one of the cafes that my uncle had taken me during my first week in New York. "Yeah, I was. Him and Caleb showed me around the city; it's actually really beautiful." I replied with a small smile.

The three of us made small talk as we ate our food. They talked about how their lives were going back home, which was normal until Caleb called them about my uncle's death. It felt odd knowing that in a few hours we'd be going to Alfius's second viewing time. That meant we'd be staying all evening at a funeral home. This morning we met a lot of my uncle's friends, most of which none of us knew. In all honesty I didn't even want to go to the funeral home. The stress and anxiety from all of this was really starting to get to me; I think Caleb knew but I wasn't sure if my parents noticed or not. It wasn't surprising though since they were caught up in their own sorrow.

Once we finished eating my dad paid for the meal before we left the cafe. We got into their car and I asked if I could be dropped off at Caleb's house instead of going to the hotel with them. My dad said yes even though I could tell he probably wondered why I didn't wanna be with them instead. "After I change and relax a little I'll meet you guys at the funeral home." I said, which seemed to ease my dad's mind. I just wanted to be alone. I wanted to wrap myself up in the blanket that Cyrus had given me. Being in that large soft piece of fabric made me feel like I wasn't alone. It made me think of Dr. Kreizler and my loop bound friends; I've been missing them more and more each day.

I pressed my thoughts to the back of my mind as I got out of the car and walked up the porch steps of Caleb's house. When I walked inside I realized that no one was home. 'He's probably out doing something important.' I thought inside of my head. I took my shoes off and walked into the living room to lay on the couch. Then I pulled that special blanket over me. Once the warmth enveloped me, I started falling into a deep sleep. When I woke up I felt someone gently shaking me. I opened my eyes to see a very blurry image of Caleb Carr. "Hey, you should start getting ready for the viewing." He said softly. I rubbed my eyes so I could see properly before setting up on the couch and uncovering.

"I hope you didn't mind me coming here. I just wanted to be alone, and I ended up falling asleep." I said as I slowly stood up. "It's alright. I know all of this has been hard on you." He said. He opened his arms to me. I wrapped my arms around him and laid my head on his chest. "Listen, I have a surprise for you later that might make you feel better." We broke the hug, and I couldn't help but wonder what the surprise was. But I didn't ask him what it was, because I doubted that he would tell me. I folded my blanket before I headed upstairs to get changed. I put on a black t-shirt, a pair of black jeans, black converse, and I slipped on a black zip up jacket.

Then I headed downstairs where I met up with Caleb, who was waiting on me by the door. "Are you ready?" He asked me curiously. "Physically, yes... mentally... no." I replied with a deep sigh. He gave me a sympathetic smile before I followed him outside and into his own vehicle. I stared out of the window as he drove towards the funeral home. "When we get there do you want me to stand next to you?" He asked me curiously, bringing me back to reality. "Yeah, that would make me feel a lot better." I replied with a small smile. Once we arrived at our destination, Caleb parked the car and we headed inside. My parents were already there; both of them gave me a hug when they saw me. A few moments passed before a wave of people started flooding in.

I recognized a great deal of them as the peculiars who had been keeping an eye on all of us. "Are they all peculiar?" I whispered to Caleb, who kept to his promise of standing next to me. "Most of them, yes. Only a couple are normals." He replied in a whisper as well. A couple of them stopped to shake my hand with an admiring glent in their eyes, which made me feel like they knew of my peculiar abilities. Either that, or they were just pleased to meet Alfius's niece. It kinda made me uncomfortable. I got a closer look at them and noticed that they were all wearing silver pins shaped like birds. 'I wonder if that's why they're all called silver birds. Is that just because they wear the pins or for some deeper reason?' I thought.

The viewing felt like it took forever, especially since most of the people who came milled around and talked. It was like everyone was going to stay until the viewing hours were over. As I stood there zoning out, I suddenly felt a light tap on my shoulder. I looked over at Caleb who gestured towards the entrance. The feeling of happiness started in my heart and spread throughout my entire body at what I saw. Dr. Kreizler, Cyrus, and Stevie cut through the crowd. A few people said their hellos to the party that came through, and I couldn't help the small smile that spread across my face at seeing them. I wanted to run towards them and give them all hugs, but I restrained myself. As they got closer I noticed that they were all wearing suits, which didn't cry 1898. But I knew they were wearing Victorian clothing and so did the other peculiars.

After they paid their respects and wished condolence to my parents, they made their way towards me. Each of them gave me a hug. I wanted to spend more time in Kreizler's arms, especially after the way I felt so warm and safe in them. "Oh, you know them then?" My mom said, looking somewhat surprised. "Yes, I do." I replied with a small smile. I made up a story about how Caleb introduced me to the three of them, which my parents believed. While they were distracted Dr. Kreizler took me aside where we couldn't be seen. "Come here. Let me give you a proper hug." He said softly as he opened his arms to me. We wrapped our arms around each other, and I snuggled into his chest. I breathed in his comforting scent of old books, cedar, and lavender as I closed my eyes. My insides felt warm just like they do when I'm wrapped up in the blanket Cyrus gave me, but more so.

"I've missed you." I said softly. "I've missed you too." He replied as he gently tightened his arms around me. We broke the hug and we made eye contact. He looked at me with sympathy in his beautiful brown orbs. "I thought you couldn't leave your loop." I said with a hint of concern in my voice. I didn't want him to age forward and die. I didn't want any of them to die just because they came to see me. "We can leave our loop for a little while. We'll only age forward if we spend an hour or so in the present." He said. He explained that Caleb had visited them earlier and mentioned how depressed I've been. "I thought that coming to see you would make you feel better." Dr. Kreizler said as he gently reached up to face to tuck a strange of hair behind my ear.

As he did so he gently brushed my cheek with his thumb, making my heart skip a little. My face heated up and I knew I probably looked like a ripe tomato. A small, yet adorably cute smile tugged at the corners of Dr. Kreizler's mouth as he brushed by cheek with his thumb again. Those beautiful eyes of his sparkled briefly before Stevie, Cyrus, and Caleb walked over to us. Kreizler quickly and smoothly returned his hand to his side. I desperately hoped that no one saw what had happened even though it was perfectly innocent. I just didn't want anyone to talk or make up silly stories about the doctor and I.

"Trinity sends her condolences. She wanted to be here, but the thought it would be best to stay home to watch over Elijah and Jasmine." Cyrus said with a small sympathetic smile. "Aww, well tell her I said thanks. And tell the little ones I said hi." I said with a small smile of my own. "Will do." Cyrus replied. Dr. Kreizler told Caleb that I could come and see them whenever I wanted. He also mentioned that I didn't have to continue my studying until I felt fit to do so. I really admired him for that. Each of them gave me a hug before we said out goodbyes. Caleb stood next to me outside on the sidewalk as we watched my wonderful friends disappear into the night. The two of us stood out in the cool air, which felt refreshing compared to the stifling heat inside.

"They really love you, Jade." Caleb said with a smile after a few moments. "Good, because I really love them too." I replied happily. He put an arm around me as we walked back inside. Most of the people were starting to leave, because the viewing hours were almost over. Once everyone had left, the pastor came up and talked to my parents about the funeral that is supposed to take place tomorrow morning. Then we left. "Let's go get something to eat. I'm starving." Caleb said, and we agreed. We went to a diner where I ordered coffee, pancakes, bacon, and eggs. Caleb ordered breakfast too. My parents on the other hand ordered hamburgers. The four of us ate and made small talk. "So, are you coming back home after tomorrow?" My dad asked, bringing up the question I was dreading to answer.

"Well... I intended on staying here longer." I said. My parent's faces filled with confusion, but Caleb eased their minds. He said that me staying here would be better for my grieving process. I agreed with him on that; what he was saying wasn't a lie. I did need more to grieve, but I also needed to learn about my peculiar abilities. More children had gone missing or were found dead by the same means that had killed my uncle. I needed to find a way to get rid of the hollowgast along with the wights that were destroying people's lives here. There was a lot for me to do and I still needed to accept the death of Alfius and move on from it healthily. The only way I was going to do that was by staying in New York.

After we finished eating my parents accepted the fact that I wasn't going back home with them after the funeral tomorrow. I didn't want to say goodbye to them so soon, but I didn't have a choice. But I couldn't tell them completely why I couldn't leave the city with them. We said our goodbyes before we went our separate ways. Once Caleb and I arrived at his place, I changed into my pajamas. Then I laid down on my bed to relax before I decided to go to sleep. My mind felt oddly at ease. My thoughts were filled by images of Dr. Kreizler and the hug we shared tonight. I thought about how he caressed my cheek with his thumb; how the first time was an accident and how the second time was on purpose. That night I fell into a deep restful sleep.

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A/N: Thanks for reading!!


	12. Silver Birds

Jade's POV:

Tears streamed down my face during the funeral service. The whole room was packed full of people and I hoped that no one noticed was crying. Well... no one besides my parents or Caleb. A few moments passed and I felt Caleb wrap an arm around my shoulders. I wiped some of my tears away in an attempt to keep from anyone seeing me cry. When the funeral was over each row went up and paid their respects one last time. The four of us were near the front so we were the first ones out who went up to the casket. My uncle's lifeless and simi frozen body was laying inside of the fruit wood coffin on top of simulated white silk.

Caleb kept me close and my parents kept close as well. By the time we got outside of the building for fresh air, I was being held in my mom's arms. I broke down. I let out all of the pent up stress, sorrow, and anxiety out with tears. My mom started crying and my dad had to comfort her. So Caleb wrapped his arms around me and gently rubbed my back as he comforted me. When he and I broke the hug, I wiped my tears away. My eyes were sore; I figured they looked red as well from all of the crying. Once everyone left the funeral home we got into our cars and headed towards the gravesite. Once we got there the rain started pouring from the sky.

Thankfully there were umbrellas in the trunk of the car. The pastor started saying a few words once everyone had gathered around the gravesite. The pallbearers carried the casket over to the rectangular hole in which my uncle was going to be buried in. My chest filled with pain as I stood there in the cold rain. There was a twinge in my stomach as well, which filled me with dread. The twinge got worse and I started looking around. "What's wrong?" Caleb asked, noticing my panic. "I can feel it. It's close." I whispered as my heart started pounding in my chest. It was hard to see anything coming for the thick fog that had settled in. The twisting inside of my stomach hurt so much I thought I was going to be sick. And then all of a sudden it stopped and turned into a tugging sensation. The same tugging sensation I got when Caleb and I found my uncle's body.

My instincts told me that the hollowgast was lingering in the fog ahead of us. As it got closer I could hear it's loud footsteps, which the others mistook for thunder. My panicked eyes must have made Caleb scared as well, because he walked over to his peculiar friends; one of the silver birds to tell them that a hollow was near. In my head all I could do was hope the hollow would stop... that the hollow would leave us alone. 'Stop! Stop where you are, and leave us alone.' I thought inside of my head. I willed the monster to stop with every fiber of my being, and that's when something strange happened. A weird kind of jumbled up noises took place of the words I was thinking. 'Stop where you are. Stop and stay still.' I said in my head but in strange language I didn't understand.

To my surprise something sort of seemed to click. It was like finding the right radio station after searching through a sea of static. 'Stop and don't move.' I said inside of my head, and the thunderous footsteps stopped. "Where is it?" Caleb asked as a couple of his friends came to my side. "It's through the fog, right over there." I gestured in the direction in front of us near the tree line. "Is it coming in our direction?" The olive skinned man, one of the silver birds, asked me curiously. "It was. I stopped it." I replied. "What do you mean you stopped it?" A pale woman with red painted lips asked. "I somehow managed to gain mental control over the hollow." I replied. I wasn't sure how to explain what had happened. Especially since I was speaking a language I didn't understand inside of my head.

I felt the silver bird members looking at me and it made me feel a little uncomfortable. The olive skinned man suggested that they should canvas that area for wights, but I didn't think that was a good idea. Especially since it was foggy and I'm the only person who can see hollows. I didn't know how long my weak hold on the hollowgast would last after all. Deep down I just wanted everyone to be safe without having to endure an attack from monsters from the peculiar world. After the funeral was over I talked my parents into leaving because I wanted a moment alone with Caleb. A request they willingly complied to. The only ones left were the silver birds, Caleb, and I. Thankfully the fog was starting to lift, which was in everyone's favor. "This is Emmet and Lacy by the way." Caleb said, introducing me to the two peculiars I had been talking to.

Lacy ordered the rest of the peculiars to essentially be our back up, since I had to go first. It made me nervous because I didn't want anyone to get hurt. "It's okay, I'm right behind you." Caleb whispered to me as I lead the way into the disappearing fog. I let the tugging sensation guide me through the graveyard and into the tree line. That's when I started smelling that awful stench that I had smelled at my uncle's house. It made me wanna gag, but I suppressed the urge. Mostly because I knew the others couldn't smell it and I didn't want them to worry about me. As we approached a sparsely wooded area, I saw it. It was as tall as the trees and as hideous or even more so than I remembered. It's grayish white flesh was covered with rain, but it didn't stifle the sickening odor that it emitted. "Can you see it? Is it here?" Emmet asked in a hushed tone.

The creature turned in the direction of his voice and I panicked a little. 'Stay where you are. Don't move.' I said inside of my head. The first time in English and the second in what I assumed was hallow speak. "Yes, but don't say anything. It can hear you. I might lose my hold on it's mind." I replied in a hushed tone of my own. As I got closer I realize that the monster had eyes; little black ones that leaked black sludge. The same black sludge that I saw covering Alfius's home not so long ago. It's tears. For a brief moment I almost felt sorry for it. But then I remembered all of the innocent children it had killed.... I remembered that it had killed my uncle. A flare of anger rose inside of me, but I fought to keep it in check. I didn't want my emotions to interfere with the control I had over the hollowgast. Especially since we were so close to the thing.

"It's right in front of us... standing there." I said after I stopped a few feet or so away from the hideous beast. "Are there any wights nearby?" Lacy asked. "I don't know. I can only sense hollows." I replied, not taking eyes off of the hollow. "You'll have to get your men and women to search the area." Caleb said. Lacy ordered the other silver bird members, which I clearly assumed was an organization of sorts, to canvas the surrounding area for wights. "Now... what are we going to do with this thing?" Caleb asked his friends. "We'll have to get a large cage to make sure it's secure before transporting it anywhere." Emmet replied as he retrieved a cellphone from his jacket pocket. "Make sure it's a strong one. He can do some damage." I said absent mindedly. The hollow stood there staring back at me with anger burning its little black eyes.

But the beast couldn't fight against the control I had over him, at least not now he couldn't. And I desperately hoped the others could get a cage for him before he decided to try. It felt like hours passed, but in reality it was only few minutes or so before a helicopter landed nearby. Then a crew of men rushed in and wrapped chains around the hollowgast. They reminded of aurors from the Harry Potter, especially the silver birds. "You did a good job, Jade. I'm proud of you." Caleb said with a big smile and pat on my shoulder. "Once you leave with him I won't have any control over him, so make sure he's secure." I told the uniformed men. "I'll make sure that they do. Don't worry about that." Lacy said with a small smile and a little wink. We left the silver birds to take the hollow wherever they needed to take him. As soon as I let my hold on the hollow go it let out a horrible sounding shriek of rage.

It made the air of my back of my neck stand on end, but I knew it couldn't do anymore damage. It couldn't kill anymore peculiar kids or anyone else. I felt like my uncle's death had been avenged. But my satisfaction didn't last very long. A dark thought suddenly entered my mind as I got into Caleb's car. "Do think that whole thing was odd, or is it just me?" I said as I buckled up. "What do you mean?" He asked me curiously. "Why weren't there any wights with the hollow? I mean... they should have been with the monster." I said, feeling a bit confused. If the wights were looking for me then why weren't they there? Attacking a funeral would have been a great opportunity for them to try and kidnap me.

"Maybe they noticed that there were too many peculiars around to protect you." Caleb suggested as he started the vehicle. "Maybe." I replied. There was just something that didn't feel right about the whole thing in my opinion. I'm not sure why, but it didn't feel right. We met up with my parents at a diner to eat lunch. "What took you two so long?" My dad asked with furrowed brows. "Tom, don't be so indelicate." My mom said, and nothing else was said on the subject of our lateness. We ordered food and ate relatively in silence in for a while until mom spoke up again. She talked about heading back to Maryland tomorrow afternoon. I knew she wanted me to go with her... but I couldn't. Even if I did just help capture the hollowgast, there was a lot of stuff about the peculiar world I didn't know.

Plus the wights that were involved with my uncle's murder hadn't been caught. I didn't feel like leaving the protection of the silver birds until they were put behind bars in a high security prison. I couldn't just leave without seeing Dr. Kreizler and the others either. It would have been rude even if I told Caleb to tell them goodbye for me. All of a sudden the thought of leaving the doctor, Stevie, Cyrus, Trinity, and her children made my insides ache. As a matter of fact... it made me never want to leave New York at all. 'What if I stayed here permanently? Then I could visit the loop whenever I wanted.' I thought as I took a sip of my coffee. But I knew I'd have to at least visit my parents every once in a while. Otherwise they'd worry about me more than they already did.

"Well, we better get back to the hotel and start packing." My dad said as we walked outside onto the sidewalk. "It was nice meeting you both. I just wish we could have met under different circumstances." Caleb said as he shook my parent's hands. "Same here." My dad replied. "I'd like to thank you for watching over Jade and making sure she's okay. Especially since her my brother were so close." My mom said, starting to get emotional. "Don't mention it, Mrs. Summers. Jade has become a good friend of mine; I think Alfius would have wanted me to keep and eye on her if anything happened to him." Caleb replied. I couldn't help but notice the slight trace of tears that had welled up in his eyes as he said so. It made my chest tight as well was warm.

I've never seen him get emotional before. I gave my parents hugs before we went our separate ways. Before getting into the car, I gave Caleb a hug and it kinda surprised him a little. But he wrapped his arms around me and held me tight. He and I became fast friends, but that's probably because he already felt like family toe the day we met. When we broke the hug there weren't any words that needed to be said, just small smiles and moist eyes. "Come on, let's go home." He said and I got in on the passenger side of the vehicle.

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A/N: Thanks for reading!!


	13. Breathe A Little Easier

Jade's POV:

Caleb and I slept in until ten o'clock. When we did wake up we went to our favorite diner and got breakfast even though it was almost lunch time. "I have to share what happened to the others today, and I was wondering if you wanted to come along. It's okay if you just want to stay at the house." Caleb said, breaking the comfortable silence that had settled around us for a while. I thought about his offer and it didn't take me long to make up my mind. "I'll go with you." I replied, and a smile spread across his face before he took a sip of his coffee. We buried my uncle yesterday and I probably should have stayed home to let myself grieve. But every fiber of my being just wanted to be around my loop bound friends.

I missed them much since we've been apart. 'if they weren't loop bound they probably would have stayed with you in the present.' I thought inside of my head. Then I suddenly wondered if it was possible that loop bound peculiars could somehow reset their internal clocks. Like... they could do something so they could live in the present without having to age forward. "Well, we better get going if I don't want to be late." Caleb said, taking me out of my thoughts. We finished eating and paid for our meals before leaving the diner. The two of us walked to the cafe that housed the loop entrance. Once we were in the back storage room, we changed into Victorian era appropriate clothes. As soon as we stepped into 1898, a sort of excitement rushed through. Even though the heat was stifling it filed my lungs in an oddly refreshing way.

That's when I realized that I hadn't only missed my friends, but the time period as well. I couldn't help the smile that was on my face as we headed towards the doctor's house. I rand the doorbell and waited for someone to come and greet us. Trinity opened the door with a big smile on her beautiful face. "It's nice to see you two again. Come on in." She said happily. "It's nice to see you too, Trinity." Caleb said he hellos but had to quickly depart once more to attend an important meeting with higher ups. I on the other hand got to have tea with Trinity and Stevie, who were both very happy to see me. "I've very sorry about your uncle. I wish I could have come to the viewing the other night." She said in a sympathetic tone. "It's alright. I know you had to watch of your children instead." I replied with a small smile.

I ended up telling them about the hollowgast and how I managed to control the beast with my mind. Stevie seemed to think that was very cool and helpful if there were to be any more hollows lurking around. I agreed to that, but made sure to mention that I wasn't entirely sure if I could control hollows like I had done yesterday. A huge part of me felt like I just got lucky. After tea, I ended up playing with Elijah and Jasmine in the back yard for a while. The back yard was really something beautiful to look at. There were millions of flowers growing of various different varieties, and figured Elijah was to blame. He is a seed sprout after all. "Where's Dr. Kreizler?" I asked curiously after a few moments of silence. "He's at the institute." He replied. "Oh." I replied, and I think I might have given away my disappointment in the tone of my voice. "I could take you there if you wanna see him. I'm sure he'd be delighted by a little surprised visit from you." He said with a small smile on his face.

"Well... only if I won't be interrupting him..." I said, trailing off awkwardly. "Let me just go and tell Trinity where we're going. That way she won't panic if she looks outside and we ain't there." He said as he got to his feet and headed inside. I wiped sweat from my brow and wondered how my friends stood this summer heat. I wasn't sure what month this loop was made, but it had to at least be the last part of July or the middle of August. 'They've probably just gotten use to the weather from living with it for so long.' I thought inside of my head as I waited on Stevie to return. When he came back outside, Trinity was behind him and called for her children. Elijah and Jasmine scurried over to her before she told us to be careful on our trip to the institute. I climbed into the carriage and Stevie urged Frederick, one of their horses, to move forward.

During the carriage ride I admired the scenery of New York from a different era. It was mystify at how much the city had changed over the years, and I felt very lucky to be experiencing this. Especially since time travel for most is only possible through movies, tv shows, and books.... but for me it's real. When we reached the institute I was faced with two large red bricked buildings. "Cyrus will be there, to bring you and the doctor back to the house. I have some stuff to pick up for Trinity anyways." Stevie said as I got out and stood on the sidewalk. I thanked for the ride back fore he took off down the street to run errands. Then I turned to enter the institute. The main doors were wide open, which I assumed was to let in the nice breeze that blew. When I entered the building I could hear children laughing and playing.

The foyer was large and relatively empty. There was a bench sitting beside what looked like an office door, and so I assumed it was Dr. Kreizler's office. As I walked towards the door I suddenly spotted Cyrus who was walking towards the foyer from a hallway on the right side of the building. "Jade, what a wonderful surprise." He said in his deep baritone voice, which brought a smile to my face. "Hello, Cyrus. How are you?" I asked him curiously as I fully turned to face him. "I'm alright. How are you?" He replied. I told him I was fine and explained that Stevie had brought me to surprise Dr. Kreizler on his way to run errands. "The doctor will really appreciate that. It had been a pretty rough day for him." He said with a smile that reached his brown eyes. He knocked on the door I assumed was the doctor's office with a sort of boyish excitement.

I admit, I was excited as well. "Come in." Kreizler's voice said from the other side of the door. I hid behind Cyrus as my tall friend made small talk and placed a stack of files on Kreizler's desk. "You have a visitor, doctor." Cyrus said and I could hear the smile in his voice. "Show them in." The doctor replied. Cyrus moved out of the way to show me standing just within the doorway. When Dr. Kreizler looked up his eyes widened and a beautiful smile spread across his handsome face. "Jade! I... I wasn't expecting you. Come in." He said as he sat his pen down and stood up. He thanked Cyrus for bringing the files as well as showing me into the office. Seeing Dr. Kreizler so happy to see me made my insides feel warm and fuzzy. The three of us talked for a few moment before Cyrus left to do more errands. "Come here. How are you feeling?" Kreizler said as we wrapped our arms around each other. I snuggled into his chest and breathed in his comforting scent.

"I'm alright." I replied with a small smile even though he couldn't see it. "Good." He said as he gently tightened his arms around me; I could feel that one arm was weaker than the other, but that didn't surprise me. Especially since his right arm had been injured by his mean and horrible father. We broke the hug and I placed my hands on his chest, causing a sparkle to shine in his big beautiful eyes. "Did Stevie bring you?" He asked me curiously. "Yeah, he dropped me off on his way to do some errands." I said. The two of us spoke while he finished up his paper work. Kreizler was very sweet about comforting me over my uncle's funeral. The idea that I wouldn't be able to see Alfius again caused a strange feeling to invade my insides. It was like sorrow, but different in a way I can't I explain.

But that feeling faded away when the doctor asked if I wanted to have a tour of the institute. I was excited to see all of the peculiar children that lived here. "Some of my students aren't peculiar, but we've taught them to accept others who are." He said as we left his office and walked down not of the halls. Today was Saturday, so the children were out playing and enjoying the nice weather. If it was a week day they would have been in classrooms learning basic education, peculiar history, or practicing their abilities. After he showed me the massive campus, he introduced me to a couple of his students. One was a little girl named Marmalade who had a second mouth in the back of her head. The second was a boy who was invisible. All of them were very nice and kind to me, but I think that's because Dr. Kreizler was the one who introduced us.

They knew they could trust the doctor, and so they trust almost everyone he allows them to meet. I spoke with some of the children about their peculiar abilities and whatnot. But when Marmalade asked if I could play with them, Dr. Kreizler said we had to go home for the day. But I promise that I'd come back and play with them sometime this week. That seemed to make her happy and I intended on keeping my promise; I didn't want to disappoint her. I followed Dr. Kreizler back to his office where he gathered his things. The two of us met up with Cyrus and he took us back to the house in the calash. When we arrived I heard the sound of two children playing. To my surprise John Moore was running around in the grass with Jasmine and Elijah. Sara Howard was talking with Trinity by the house. "John... Sara..." Kreizler said. "It seems like today had been full of pleasant surprises." He introduced me to his friends.

"So, you're who Laszlo keeps talking to me about?" John said once Dr. Kreizler had went inside to put his things in his study. "I hope he hasn't been saying anything bad about me." I said, feeling a bit shy. The thought of Dr. Kreizler talking about me to his friends gave me butterflies for some reason. "Oh, no. He has nothing but good things to say about you." John said with a small smile on his face. "John and I decided to come and meet you so the doctor would stop pestering us to do so." Sara said smiling. I smiled too even though I still felt awkward. The three of us talked and I was glad I didn't have to explain anything to them. Apparently Kreizler had told them that I was from the present and knew everything about them. I mean... Caleb Carr did write two books about them after all. It was kinda hard not to know almost everything about them, especially when I've read the books as much as I have.

Eventually Caleb and Stevie arrived; all of us went inside and relished the cool temperature that was in the sitting room. Cyrus sat down at the piano and played a piece from Don Giovanni by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Oddly enough, it's actually my favorite opera... well... one of my favorites. Trinity made some snacks for us to enjoy while her children helped cooked dinner. Everyone in the sitting room had cold glasses of vodka besides Stevie and I. The two of us preferred root beer over alcoholic beverages. Everyone was happy in that moment. I felt like I could breathe again for the first time in what felt like forever. Obviously there were worries still floating around in my mind, but I managed to push them aside for tonight. You could say it was a celebration of capturing a hollowgast and a joyful remembrance of my uncle Alfius's life.

At least that's how I saw it, and I'm sure Caleb felt the same way. Once dinner was ready we gathered around the large dinner table and ate as we made conversation. John told funny stories about his and Kreizler's years at Harvard University. I enjoyed every second of it. The smiled on my friend's faces made me feel like I had finally found my home. And maybe all peculiar souls felt this way once they've met people who are peculiar as well. After desert was consumed as well as countless cups of coffee, everyone started saying their goodbyes. Sara and John mentioned that they'd come back and visit sometime this weekend. Caleb and I stayed behind to help clean up even though Trinity protested against our helpfulness. "Well, I guess we better get going." Caleb said, and my high spirits dropped slightly.

"You could stay, I have plenty of room." Dr. Kreizler said, obviously reading my disappointment. "Jade can stay if she wants to, I have to report back to the silver birds." Caleb replied, giving a look that said: 'Dr. Kreizler wants you to stay.' I ended up deciding to spend the night in 1898 instead of going back to the present with Caleb. But I did remind him to bring my books with him tomorrow when he came back. "You be careful. I don't want to have to say goodbye to you in a more permanent way." I said as Caleb and I hugged on the doorstep. I was reminded of the night he and I had found my uncle's body and I didn't want the same thing to happen to him. The wights that had the hollow were still out there somewhere, and there was no knowing of them they'd strike again. "I'll be careful, I promise." He replied as he tightened his arms around me slightly. After we broke the hug I stood and watched him disappear into the night.

I turned around and entered the house before making sure the doors behind me were locked. Then I headed into the sitting room where Cyrus lightly played the piano. Dr. Kreizler was sitting nearby looking over some papers and I quietly sat down on the couch, enjoying the music. At ten o'clock everyone decided to turn in for the night... everyone except for Kreizler. He remained in his seat, rubbing his bearded face every once in a while as he looked at the file he had been holding. "Is everything alright?" I asked him quietly as I approached him. "Hmm? Oh, yes. Sorry... I was just looking over some work stuff." He said as he closed the file and turned his beautiful brown eyes on me. "Dr. Kreizler, I... I just wanted to thank you for being a huge comfort to me over these past few weeks. Everyone here had been so wonderful; I don't think I'll ever be able to replay any of you." I said with a small smile.

"The only payment preferred is your friendship, and I doubt that that feels much of a payment to you." He replied with a cute smile on his handsome face. My insides warmed and I couldn't help but smile wider in return. "I see your point." I replied. He meant that I didn't have to repay them for their kindness. A brief moment of silence passed between us before he suggested that we should go to sleep since it was getting late. He showed me to a decently sized bedroom that had been prepared for someone to sleep in. I had a feeling that he planned on me spending the night eventually. "Goodnight Dr. Kreizler." I said with. "Please... call me Laszlo. Goodnight, Jade." He replied with a smile before he headed towards his own bedroom. I closed the door and changed into a white nightgown that had been laid on the foot of the bed. After getting cozy underneath the soft covers I slowly drifted off to sleep.

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A/N: Thanks for reading!!


	14. The Ugly Truth

Jade's POV:

I woke up in a foreign room to the sound of birds singing outside of my window. After rubbing sleep from my eyes I remembered that I had stayed over in the loop at Dr. Kreizler's home. The little bit of panic that I felt quickly melted away and I snuggled into the warm covers. A few moments passed before I decided to get out of bed. I washed off before I grabbed some clothes that were in the dresser. They looked as if they had been recently placed there, and I figured that Trinity put them there for when I wake up. I put on pair of brown trousers, a white buttoned shirt, etc. Then I headed downstairs and entered the kitchen. As soon as I entered the room my senses were filled with delicious smells. My stomach growled in response as well.

Trinity was standing by the stove cooking breakfast while Cyrus and Stevie were entertaining Elijah and Jasmine. "Good morning, Jade." Cyrus said, noticing my presence. "Good morning." I replied with a small smile. I helped myself to a cup of freshly brewed coffee before sitting down at the kitchen table with the others. I sipped the strong black liquid and looked outside of one of the windows. It was truly beautiful here even though the heat sometimes felt unbearable. "Where's Dr. Kreizler?" I asked no one in particular. "He's in the sitting room with Caleb discussing something." Stevie replied. From the look on his face I got the feeling that Caleb and the doctor weren't just talking about the weather. I wasn't sure why, but I suddenly got a bad feeling in my stomach. It didn't feel like the usual tug I would have gotten if a hallow were nearby. This time it was just pure anxiety. I continued to drink my coffee and prepared myself for the worst.

Once breakfast was finished, we all gathered in the dinning room. "Good morning, Jade. I hope you slept well last night." Dr. Kreizler said with a small smile as he took his usual seat at the table. "I slept great, actually... thanks." I replied with a smile of my own, and his big brown eyes sparkled. Caleb gave me a hug before the two of us took a seat at the table ourselves. Trinity was going to start serving us, but Dr. Kreizler stopped her. "I'd very much like it if we could wait a few moments before we eat. I'm afraid I forgot to mention that I invited some friends to accompany us this morning." He said. We all agreed to wait, and a couple of minutes passed before the doorbell rang. Within seconds, Sara and John were saying their hellos. Detective sergeant Lucius Isaacson and his brother, detective sergeant Marcus Isaacson followed them into the room. Lucius was a round man with thinning hair and a pair of glasses were perched on the bridge of his nose. Marcus was slimmer and taller than his brother, plus he had thick curly brown hair.

Dr. Kreizler introduced me to the Isaacson brothers, who seemed happy to finally meet me. Apparently the doctor had spoken of me to them as well. "It really is remarkable that you're able to not only see and sense hollowgast, but use mind control over them as well." Lucius said as everyone was settled down at the table. At hearing the word hollowgast, Elijah and Jasmine voiced words of fear. "It's alright, there aren't any monsters who are going to harm you sweeties." Trinity said, calming her two children. "Now look what you did..." Marcus said, glaring slightly at Lucius. The shorter Isaacson furrowed his brows and opened his mouth to say something in reply, but John cut him off. "We better eat before the food gets cold." He said with a look that said 'not now you two.' The brothers didn't say anything more, but they were still glaring at each other. I found their bickering oddly amusing, although I felt bad for Trinity and Cyrus's kids. I didn't want them to feel afraid even though I knew it was probably normal to peculiars to fear hollows. I pressed my thoughts to the back of my mind as we started eating breakfast. We made small talk as we ate, which seemed to brighten the mood.

Sara discussed a few cases she has been working on at her detective headquarters at 808 Broadway, but she didn't go into detail. John spoke of how work was quite mundane since every single day is the same. But obviously, peculiars didn't necessarily have routine schedules like the normals who were time looped. We could do whatever we wanted as long as there weren't much contact with normals. That proved useful for all of us. When we finished eating I offered to help Trinity clean up, but she said that Cyrus and Stevie was going to assist her in cleaning the dishes. So I followed the others into the sitting room. "Laszlo, don't you think we should tell Jade about what's happened?" Caleb said, breaking the comfortable silence. The tone my friend spoke in peaked everyone else's attention as well. "The hollowgast you helped capture has disappeared," The doctor said, and my heart dropped. 'How could have the hollow just disappeared when it was in a cage?' I wondered curiously. "What do you mean disappeared?" I asked him in a very serious tone that even surprised me. "Well... we think that some silver birds members were secretly working for the wights." Caleb said. Anger built inside of me and mingled with the anxious fear I was feeling. It felt like my moment for peace had slipped through my fingers.

I couldn't help but wonder how we were going to recapture the hollow and take down the wights as well. Deep down I knew we wouldn't be able to do it alone. Even if we are peculiar. "There is someone coming here to meet you tonight during dinner. She's a highly respected yembryne, and I trust that you'll be open minded even if you might not agree with her." Kreizler said, catching my attention. "A yembryne?" I said in a questioning tone. "She had experience with hollow seers. She might even bring a guest with her if that's even possible." Caleb said, trying to ease my uneasiness. I just hoped that the yembryne they were talking about didn't have any twisted ideas about Trinity, because she's an yembryne too. Even if most of the yembryne here don't respect her. Sara and the Isaacson brothers all speculated on which members were probably the ones who orchestrated the inside job. "Lacy." I suddenly said. I remembered her vividly, and the energy she gave off just didn't feel right to me the moment I met her. "What?" Marcus asked me Curiously with furrowed brows. "Lacy... whatever her last name is. She seemed shady... I mean... suspicious to me. Her body language and energy was off." I replied.

Caleb's eyes widened in shock. He protested and said that there was no way she was helping the wights, because she's an yembryne. "Yembrynes have duties and responsibilities to uphold. They're diligent... they always do what's best for piculiardom." Caleb said. He seemed a little stung at the idea that I could doubt a yembryne's loyalty to her fellow peculiars. "Not all yembrynes do what's best for us." Dr. Kreizler said with a bitter edge to his words. It caught all of us by surprise. Well... maybe everyone except for John; he was too busy nursing a cup of coffee I suspected he poured some gin into. It took me a moment before it dawned on me, and I gasped quietly. Kreizler and I locked eyes and he seemed to be pleading for me not to say anything. "What?" Lucius asked. Turning everyone's attention on me. "I forgot to do something, I'll be right back." I lied to cover up my realisation. I hurried towards the bedroom I had stayed in last night and shut the door behind me. I walked around the room, trying to just clear my head. Not only was I overcome by the stress of a corrupt organization and an escaped hollowgast, but I was amazed at how much trauma the doctor had to go through when he was young.

A few minutes of nervous pacing passed, but it was interrupted by the sound of a knock on the bedroom door. "Who is it?" I asked curiously. "It's me." Dr. Kreizler's familiar voice said from the hallways. "Come in." I replied after taking a deep breath. He slowly opened the door and stepped into the room. Once he closed the door behind him he suggested that I should sit down. I followed his request and sat on the edge of the bed; he did the same. A couple moments of silence lingered in the room before either of us said a word. "Jade, I'd like to thank you for not voicing your realization out loud downstairs in front of the others. They may know a lot about me, but they don't know everything.... not even Caleb." He said with a look of gratitude in his big brown eyes. "It's okay. I... I'm not entirely sure what happened to you other than-" I started, but he cut me off gently. "I know you're aware of the fact that my father was abusive. My mother... she never hurt my sister and I physically, but she did fail to protect us from the abuse." He said with a distant look in his eyes. It was if he was remembering the horrible childhood he had, like scenes were being replayed inside of his mind. He explained that he thought his mother got some kind of sadistic gratification from the beatings she received from his father. Obviously, he hadn't reached that hypothesis until after he started studying as a psychology student.

He told me that his sister was an yembryne and he had inherited the ability to turn into a bird, but he wasn't capable of manipulating time like yembrynes can. "Our father hated the fact that we were different... unnatural. But I loved being different; I loved transforming into a starling when I didn't want to be bothered. I could perch myself on the highest bookshelf in our library and I'd fall asleep up there. I could escape my father's beatings." He said with a small laugh. Imagining him as a little bird made me smile slightly, but that smile faded when he mentioned his father again. I felt so sorry for him. "But one day he got very angry with me, and... he caused my arm injury." He said glancing down at his left arm. "He aggravated the injury by kicking me down the stairs afterwards. But he made it his number one priority to prevent my arm from healing properly. He never wanted my to turn into a bird again, and I haven't since." He said and my heart broke as a few tears ran down his cheeks and into his beard. I wanted to comfort him, but he wasn't finished speaking. He then told me that his sister decided not to go into yembryne training so she could learn to manipulate time, create loops, and take care of peculiar children. That's when I realized it was her who he had referred to downstairs in front of the others. I thought he was talking about his mother, but I was wrong.

"I was in my third year of study at Harvard when she told me she was going to England to marry a wealthy man, and that she had no intentions of training to become a proper yembryne." He said. He didn't go into detail, but I knew they had an argument. Otherwise they might still talk to each other today. We sat there in silence for a while before I gently wiped his tears away. His eyes widened at my touch on his cheek, and I hoped I wasn't overstepping any boundaries. To my surprise he placed one of his hands over one of mine. Maybe it was his soft and gentle touch, or maybe it was that puppy look in his big doe eyes... but my insides melted. Eventually I removed my hand from his cheek and wrapped my arms around him. "I'm so sorry Laszlo." I whispered close to his ear. He wrapped his arms around me and I nuzzled my head in the crook of his neck. We stayed like that for what felt like forever, but I'm sure our hug only lasted a few minutes. I promised that I wouldn't tell anyone what he had just told me before we left the room. I heard laughter coming from outside and assumed the others were playing with Jasmine and Elijah. So the two of us walked out to join them in the warm summer heat.

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A/N: Thanks for reading!! Sorry for the long wait, I hope you liked this chapter.


	15. A Visitor

Jade's POV:

As Dr. Kreizler and I walked into the back yard, I couldn't help but smile. Marcus and John were keeping the kids occupied while Trinity and Sara talked to each other. I figured the Isaacson brothers had a good deal of experience with children, especially since they helped their sister with her kids every once in a while. Lucius was speaking with Cyrus about something I couldn't quite hear. Stevie was sitting underneath a tree, and I was pretty sure he was dosing off a little. "There you two are." Caleb said. He was eyeing the two of us for a while before a small smirk overcame his features. I'm not sure why, but I was suddenly aware of how close Dr. Kreizler and I were. We were so close that I could smell his comforting scent of old books, cedar wood, and lavender. "I have to go make a few calls in the present day and meet up with a few people. I'll be back with our guest around eight o'clock." Caleb said after a few moments of awkwardness had passed.

We wished him good luck and told him to be careful. Most of the day I talked with the Isaacson brothers. We discussed our peculiar abilities as well as how I ended up finding out that I too was peculiar. Honestly, I felt like they were fascinated by my ability to control hollowgasts more than anything else. But I couldn't really tell them anything, because I had no idea how I was controlling them. "It's some kind of weird language that just... popped into my head. I... I just got lucky." I replied to their probing questions. John intervened and managed to change the subject to something else, which I was thankful for. Eventually they left and It got considerably quieter. Cyrus and Trinity were spending time with their children now that everyone had gone on with their regular day to day life. Sara went to headquarters at 808 Broadway, the Isaacson brothers went to the police station, and John went back to the New York Times office.

"Are you going to the institute?" I asked Dr. Kreizler curiously. "Yes. Would you... care to come along with me?" He replied with a hopeful look in his big brown eyes. "Yes, I promised Marmalade that I'd be back to play with her." I said, and a smile spread across his handsome face. The two of us climbed into the calash after the doctor collected his things. Stevie drove us to the institute. Dr. Kreizler lead me to the playground and informed his employees that I was there to visit Marmalade. The little girl was with her friends kicking a ball around. "Hello." I said as I got within earshot. "You're back!" She said excitedly. She introduced me to her friends before we started playing one of their made up games. It was quite simple once I got the hand of it. They told me stories about how they ended up in the institute, and listening to abuse they suffered broke my heart. But it was obvious how much they all loved Kreizler for giving them a second chance at life. Listening to how much they admired him made me smile.

One of the teachers called out to let the children know that it was time to go inside. A couple of them groaned in disappointment as they turned to go back to learning. I promised I'd be back some other day and play with them, especially since Marmalade had asked me to. Her and her friends seemed so happy that they had someone new to talk to, and I didn't want to make them upset. Kids like them have had so much disappointment in their lives already, they didn't deserve to have any more. I walked up the hallway and found my way to Dr. Kreizler's office. "Come in." He said after I knocked on the door. When I entered the room, he was sitting at his desk doing paperwork. "You, Dr. Laszlo Kreizler, are amazing." I said as I went around his desk and wrapped my arms around his shoulders from behind. I rested my chin on his shoulder and breathed in his wonderful scent. "I am?" He asked with a hint of confusion in his voice. "Yeah, you are. You're so sweet with your students... no wonder they love you so much." I said with a small smile. "I take it they've told you various stories about me?" He chuckled lightly as he placed one of his large hands around my right wrist. "Mhm." I noises to confirm what he had said.

We stayed in that position for a while before he spoke up once more. "Stevie can take you back home if you wish to go." He said softly as he gently rubbed my wrist with his thumb. "I actually prefer to be here with you." I replied. "Okay, but you're going to have to take a seat. You're distracting me from my work." He said and I felt guilty for keeping him from doing his job. As I removed my arms from around him, he moved his hand from my wrist. I started walking towards a nearby chair, but he stopped me by gently grasping my hand. "I meant that you were distracting me in a good way... even if you were keeping me from doing my work." He said with one of those puppy dog looks in his big brown eyes, making my insides melt for the second time that day. I could have hugged him and kissed his cheek in that moment, but I decided against it. Besides... even if I really wanted to kiss his cheek I don't think I could; the nervousness from the thought of doing so would stop me. I nodded once to let him know I understood and he slowly let my hand go. As I waited for him to finish his work, I couldn't help but to watch him.

The way he wrote and the way he'd hum to himself occasionally was just so cute. He'd feel me staring at him and look up every once in a while, and I'd apologize. But he seemed more amused than annoyed by my interest in him and his mannerisms. After a few moments he asked me about the students I had talked to today. I told him who I spoke with and what they said about him. His big eyes sparkled as a smile spread across his face. It was obvious it made him feel good knowing the children he looked after appreciate him. I think I'd feel the same way if someone was kind enough to give me a second chance, peculiar or not. Once he finished his work we left the institute and headed back home. It felt odd calling Dr. Kreizler's house home, but that's exactly what it felt like... home. When we reached our destination, he went up to his study to drop his things off while I stepped into the kitchen. It was hot and humid, but the delicious aromas made my stomach rumble. "It smells amazing in here." I said, catching her attention. "Thanks. I hope you like what I've made." She replied with a small smile. I assured her that I would. She truly is an amazing cook.

I talked with her for a while before I went into the cool sitting room. Cyrus was playing piano, which is always a treat. I honestly felt jealous of Dr. Kreizler having a skilled piano player living with him. My relaxed state was disturbed by the ringing of the doorbell. Since everyone was busy, I decided to open it. Sara and the Isaacson brothers were standing on the doorstep. Each of them looked very smartly dressed. We said out hellos and they entered the house. I saw a carriage slow down and John came out before it even had the chance to stop. Since I saw him I just stood there with the door open; there wasn't any point in closing it and making him knock or ring the bell. He thanked me for holding the door open for him and gave me a side hug. I hugged him back before closing the front door. We gathered in the sitting room before Stevie came in with a tray of food and drinks for us to enjoy while we waited on dinner to be ready.

We made small talk as we ate and drank. Jasmine and Elijah were playing with some toys in the corner. As I watched them play, I suddenly felt like I was being watched. When I turned my attention back to our group I caught Kreizler watching me. His beautiful eyes looked so bright and a small, cute smile was on his face. I smiled back and felt myself blush as butterflies fluttered slightly inside my stomach. Hoping he didn't notice that I was blushing, I looked away and joined in on the conversation Sara and Lucius were having. As the hour got later I suddenly remembered that there was a visitor coming to meet me, and I got nervous. 'Why does she want to meet me?' I wondered curiously inside of my head. I hoped she wouldn't make me leave my friends like the other yembrynes wanted me to do. Dr. Kreizler told me to keep an open mind, but there's no way I was going to just leave the ones I love. Especially not after losing my uncle Alfius.

The sound of the doorbell caused Cyrus to stop playing the piano. An eerie atmosphere consumed the cozy relaxed one that we had been enjoying. "She's here." Kreizler said before he got up to answer the door. His words seemed to make the energy in the room worse. From the looks on the other's faces let me know they were feeling like I was. A few moments passed before he returned with Caleb and a woman I didn't recognize. She was tall with dark hair that had a blue tint to it. Everything about her facial features looked bird like, which wasn't surprising. Yembrynes do turn into birds after all. "I'd like you all to meet Alma Peregrine." Dr. Kreizler said, introducing her to all of us. Her blue green eyes looked at each one of us with that hawk like gaze. "You must be, Jade Summers. I've heard a lot about you, it's a pleasure to finally meet you." She said with a small smile as she held out a hand for my to shake.

Her nails were black, long, and sharp like talons. "It seems like everyone has heard a lot about me." I replied with a shy laugh as I shook her hand. "Those who can see hollows are a rare bread. When piculiardom is aware of someone who can see monsters, word spreads like wildfire." She said, studying me with her eyes. She gave off the same authority and mysterious air as Dr. Kreizler; there was something over likeable, yet intimidating about her. The Isaacson brothers got into one of their amusing little brotherly arguments as they spoke to Miss Peregrine. It seemed to amuse her like their arguments often did to others. Sara cut in, which caused Marcus and Lucius to glare at each other a little. But once dinner was served all disagreements were forgotten. Miss Peregrine spoke of her years of learning to be a yembryne under a Miss Wren. Apparently there was a whole yembryne academy in Europe. Everything she was talking about sounded very interesting.

She also didn't seem to have any preconceived opinions of Trinity even though she obviously knew she was an yembryne as well. After we ate dessert, Jasmine and Elijah went to bed. That's when I knew the conversation was going to take a much more serious turn. Cups of coffee were passed around and sips were taken before someone spoke up once more. "I guess we should address the elephant in the room. I'm sure all of you were wondering why I've traveled so far to get here to meet you, Jade." Miss Peregrine said. Everyone's attention was peaked even more than it was before if that was even possible. "I'm aware that the silver birds organization has been compromised. We have people hunting down the culprits who assisted the wights in breaking the Hollowgast free." She began. She told us the moves they were making to capture the wights and track down the hollowgast.

From what she said it seemed like they didn't really need me to help find the hollow. It was a little confusing, because I felt relived and a little concerned. I wasn't sure if they knew another person who can see hollows or if they didn't want me putting myself in danger, especially since I'm inexperienced. "There's also someone I'd like you to meet. He can help you strengthen your abilities." She said, which made me feel a little apprehensive. I didn't want to be thrown into some kind of room with a bunch of people treating me like an experiment. "When you say someone... do you mean another yembryne or someone you know more intimately?" Dr. Kreizler asked curiously. "Yes, I was wondering that as well." Caleb chipped in. "It's someone I know more intimately. I have complete confidence in him." Miss Peregrine replied, glancing between the doctor and Caleb. I wasn't sure why my other friends were present, but I soon found out that they too were members of the silver birds. To be honest I should have known that. But I have had a lot on my mind.

We discussed a time and place when I could meet the person Miss Peregrine had mentioned. After a while we all started saying our goodbyes. Everything felt very weird, because I was worried about meeting someone new even though I've been meeting new people a lot lately. I guess it's just because that someone I was going to meet was supposed to be a trainer/mentor. Miss Peregrine and Dr. Kreizler wanted to talk in private, so I helped Stevie, Cyrus, and Trinity clean up. "I hope that Peregrine lady realizes we're going to be there when you meet that guy she wants to help with mastering your abilities." Stevie said as we started putting the clean dishes away. "I doubt we'll go, but the doctor will definitely be there. Even if he does trust Miss Peregrine's judgement." Cyrus said, and Trinity agreed. "Somehow I don't think Dr. Kreizler trusts many yembrynes other than Trinity." I said after a few moments of comfortable silence. I had the feeling that even they didn't know about the rift between Kreizler and his sister. But I made a promise not to tell anyone, and I intended on keeping it.

Caleb came into the room followed by Miss Peregrine. "We better get back to the present before it gets too late." Caleb said, and my heart sank. I had full intentions on staying in 1898 for another night. 'Does Dr. Kreizler not want me to spend the night here?' I wondered. "Why can't she stay?" Trinity asked with furrowed brows. "Yeah, wouldn't it be best if she were to stay here with us? There's wights out there looking for her." Stevie said, looking annoying. "You're right master Taggert, it would be better if she stayed here with all of you." Miss Peregrine said. It looked like Stevie was going to speak up again, but Caleb beat him to the punch. He mentioned my other diabetic medication; it wasn't like the pills. I wasn't able to take my ozempic shot around with me, especially not here since the weather is so hot and humid. It's a weekly shot I have to give myself; it isn't quite like insulin, which is a plus for me. I don't have to take it every day like most diabetics. "I almost forgot I have to take that tomorrow morning." I said, feeling like an idiot. But if I did forget to take it I wouldn't have been surprised with all that has happened in my life in such a short period of time.

I reluctantly said my goodbyes to my friends and followed Caleb into the foyer. Dr. Kreizler was descending the stairs just as we walked out of the kitchen, and a smile spread across my face when I saw him. The two of us said our goodbyes as we hugged each other. "I'll see you tomorrow, Jade. Sweet dreams and stay safe." He whispered close to my ear. His warm breath against my skin ticked a little, but I didn't let it show. "Sweet dreams to you too, Laszlo." I whispered back. It felt odd calling him by his first name, but it also felt right somehow. We broke the hug and I followed Caleb out onto the front porch. When Miss Peregrine joined us I was about to say something before she answered my questioning gaze. "Dr. Kreizler thought it would be best if I accompanied the two of you back home." She said, and I nodded to let her know I understood.

Going through the loop felt as strange as it always did, but I wasn't prepared for how weird it felt to walk into Caleb's home. Mostly because it didn't feel like home at all, it was just a random house to me. It felt empty unlike Dr. Kreizler's home. I had a long shower before I put on a pair of pajamas. It took me a while to get settled into bed; it felt like hours before I actually fell asleep, and even then I wasn't resting. Maybe it's because I knew bad people were looking for me, or perhaps it's because I didn't feel comfortable being here. Either way, I didn't have a very restful night. I kept waking up at random hours all throughout the early morning. I was already awake when Caleb came in to get me up so we could meet my mentor. Deep down I hoped I didn't have to exercise any mental control over hollows, because I don't think my tired brain could handle that just yet. I rubbed my eyes and laid there a few moments before motivation hit me. 'Alright... let's get this over with.' I thought as I swung my feet off of the edge of the bed.

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A/N: Thanks for reading!!


	16. Another Hollow Hunter

Jade's POV:

After I got dressed and took my medication, I headed downstairs to be greeted by the delicious smell of breakfast. Miss Peregrine was reading the morning's newspaper as Caleb stood by the stove cooking. "Good morning, Jade." Miss Peregrine said with a small smile after she put the paper down from her face. "Morning." I replied. I walked over to one of the cabinets and retrieved a cup to pour fresh coffee in. I was thankful that neither one of them attempt to make conversation until I had drank my coffee. We mostly made small talk as we ate together. It was strange, because I knew I wouldn't be going back to 1898 this morning. I just hoped I could go and see my friends later today if everything worked out and went as planned. But I made sure not to get too hopeful.

Once I was finished eating, I took my pills and then brushed my teeth. Before I knew it I was in the back seat of Caleb's car headed to god knows where. I stared out of the window and watched at the city started to turn into suburbs. "Dr. Kreizler will be meeting us at our destination." Miss Peregrine said, breaking the silence. Her words made me feel hopeful. At least I could see him for a little while before he had to go back to his loop. "He insisted upon meeting your mentor, and I don't see any harm in that. I know he isn't very trusting of the normal run of things, and I admit... over the years I've started to feel the same way." She said. The car ride fell into silence once more, and I took that as an opportunity to listen to some music. I noticed that we were heading into the less developed areas of New York, which is something I haven't yet seen. It was a little refreshing to get out of the city for a change.

But I couldn't shake the feeling of wanting to go back. Maybe it was just the idea of meeting someone new, and having to actually explore my peculiar ability. Eventually the car started to slow down and we pulled into a gravel driveway. I paused my music and took my earphones out before stuffing them into my backpack. We approached a nice looking home with a manicured lawn and beautiful flower beads. There was another car sitting there waiting, and I figured it was Dr. Kreizler... at least I hoped it was. Caleb parked the car and killed the engine before we all got out of the car. Then the front passenger door of the other vehicle opened. Dr. Kreizler stepped out and I was shocked at what my eyes saw. He wasn't wearing his usual black suit; he had a black sweater and black jeans on. They fit him pretty good as well. I couldn't help the smile that spread across my face either, because he looked like the coffee shop reader/writer type. 'Just the type I secretly have a soft spot for.' I thought inside of my head.

I walked towards him and gave him a hug. The sweater he was wearing felt very soft. All I really wanted to do was snuggle into his chest and stay in his arms for a while. But I knew we couldn't stay like that forever. We broke the hug and we followed Miss Peregrine towards the house. "Now, he may be a couple of years younger than you but don't let that fool you. He has had lots of experience with hollows." Miss Peregrine said in a hushed tone as we walked onto the front porch. She knocked on the door and we waited for someone to come and invite us inside. When the door opened we were greeted by a young man who was quite tall for his age. He had short black hair and blue eyes. "Miss Peregrine, It's nice to see you again." He said happily.

We followed him inside and I looked around as Miss Peregrine asked him questions about his life. The place looked like the home of a well traveled middle aged man, but I knew he wasn't middle aged even if I hadn't been told he was younger. I could tell... it was like I could tell the age of his soul in an odd sort of way. "Jade, I'd like you to meet Jacob Portman." Miss Peregrine said, introducing us to each other. We shook hands and said our hellos before he took us into the living room. "It's a pleasure to actually meet you, Jade. I've heard a lot about you through other peculiars." Jacob said as we sat down and he poured tea into five tea cups. "It seems like a lot of people have heard about me through others it seems like." I replied with a shy small laugh, which made him smile a little. "Don't worry, the same thing happened to me when I found out I was peculiar." He said as he sat back and sipped his tea. After making small talk, things got a lot more serious. Miss Peregrine discussed that I would have to come and visit Jacob three times a week for proper peculiar training.

To be honest I was glad I didn't have to come here every day even though Jacob seemed like a nice person. I just didn't wanna be away from Dr. Kreizler for long periods of time; to be honest... I didn't want to be away from him at all. But I knew I had to get better at sensing hollows and mind controlling them. So I honestly needed all of the training I could get, but I wasn't going to suggest more days. Not yet anyway. Dr. Kreizler must have formed an opinion on Jacob, because he suddenly said that he had to go back home. My heart sunk a little but I knew he needed to get back to his loop or he'd age forward. I walked towards the front door with him and we hugged once more. "I'll come and see you as soon as I can." I said softly as we broke the hug. "I know you will." He replied with a small smile. After he left I 're-joined the others in the living room. Jacob then told me about his first experience with the peculiar world. Surprisingly, he and I had a great deal in common. It was clear now why Miss Peregrine wanted the two of us to meet, and I started feeling a little more comfortable.

He had lost his grandfather to a hollow attack. "Obviously I didn't know what is was when I saw it. At first I thought I was losing my mind, but then I had Miss Peregrine and her children to help me understand the strange world of piculiardom." Jacob said, giving Miss Peregrine a grateful smile. I was curious to hear the many stories he had to tell, but I knew they'd have to wait until some other day. We needed to go over time schedules and whatnot. By the time we left it was decided that I'd meet with Jacob on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. I still felt nervous, but I didn't feel as bad as I did before. It was already one in the afternoon when we got back to Caleb's home. Miss Peregrine went out to attend a meeting while the two of us sat and relaxed in the living room. "So... do you think you'll get along with Jacob?" Caleb asked, breaking the comfortable silence. "I guess." I replied, shrugging slightly. "You both have a lot on common. I think talking to him about your experiences will help you adjust properly." He said with a look of sympathy in his eyes.

Caleb was right, I did have a lot in common with Jacob Portman. But I still wasn't sure about learning from him quite yet; it wasn't his age... it was just... I wasn't sure if I was ready to open up to him just yet. "I know." I said with a deep sigh. I looked out of the window and saw that the sun was breaking through the gray clouds that had been threatening rain all morning. "You want to go see Dr. Kreizler, don't you?" He asked. When I looked over at him there was a big smile on his face. "Of course I do. When I'm away from him and the others I can't help but miss them." I replied, feeling a little childish. Deep down I knew there would be times when I had to be away from my loop bound friends, but there was a low-key fear of not being able to see them again. "Come, on. Let's go see our friends." He said happily, which made a smile spread across my face.

I hadn't realized how down in the dumps I really was until then, and I was glad that my mood was improving. I pressed my thoughts to the back of my mind as he left a note for Miss Peregrine, which was vague and coded in case the wights found it. Then we left and strolled towards our favorite cafe. Even though the hot temperatures in the loop was stifling, it felt nice to be back. Caleb and I walked towards Dr. Kreizler's home in high spirits. I knocked on the door, which brought Trinity to answer it. "I'm glad you're back, Jade. We were worried about you." She said as we entered th house. "Oh, I see. You weren't worried about me, then eh?" Caleb joked. "We were worried about you too Caleb, we're always worried about our friends." Cyrus said as he walked into the foyer from the sitting room. Trinity had baked some cookies, and we had a couple of them as we sat and relaxed. When I learned that the doctor was at the institute, I was a little disappointed but I knew he had work to do.

Plus, I knew he was going to be back soon and I'd be spending the night. Cyrus played the piano as Caleb and Trinity talked. Stevie and I were keeping Elijah and Jasmine occupied. "How was that Portman fella? The doctor didn't really say much." Stevie said in a hushed tone. "I guess he was alright. I mean, he seems like a good person and everything. I'm just sort of tired of meeting new people... you know what I mean?" I replied hoping that he understood why I meant. "Yeah, I know. This place was full of people coming and going when the loop was made. But back then we didn't get to see too many friendly faces." He said with a deep sigh. "What do you mean?" I asked with furrowed brows. "Well... Trinity wasn't traditionally trained. When she made the loop there was a lot of people coming here telling us off. Apparently we weren't allowed to make a loop before contacting the council of yembrynes." He said, rolling his eyes slightly. 'So that's why those people in Caleb's meetings were so prejudice against Trinity.' I thought inside of my head.

Cyrus went to pick up the doctor from the institute while I helped Trinity make dinner. Stevie went upstairs to his room to do some studying. Dr. Kreizler makes sure his studies are up to date, which annoys Stevie but I can understand that Laszlo wants him to know things from the modern day. I pressed my thoughts to back of my mind as I watched Caleb play with the kids. I didn't know if he had any children, but he did seem like the ideal grandparent. Cyrus returned and I figured that Dr. Kreizler went to his office. When dinner was ready I made the table and then headed upstairs to get Stevie. I knocked on his bedroom door, which gained a reply. "Dinner is ready." I said. It didn't take him long to get out of his room. I guess he wanted an excuse to abandon his studies for a little while. As the two of us walked downstairs we met up with Laszlo. "How was your day with Master Portman?" He asked with a little edge to his voice, or maybe I was just imagining it. "It was okay I guess. I'm way more happier that I'm here though." I replied, which coaxed a little smile out of him.

When we reached the end of the stairs, I glanced over to Stevie who had a small smirk on his face. "What?" I asked in a whisper. He just shook his head, but that smirk still remained. I shrugged as we entered the dinning room. The others were already seated when we sat down. We filled our plates and ate as we made small talk. Everyone was curious about Jacob Portman, but there wasn't much for me to say to be honest. He was just another peculiar... another hollow hunter. After we ate I wanted to help clean up, but Cyrus said it was fine. "I better get going. I'm sure Miss Peregrine will want to discuss what happened in the meeting she was in today." Caleb said with a deep sigh. He and I said our goodbyes and I told him to be safe. Honestly, I wasn't sure why he didn't want to stay here in 1898; I knew he had a lot of work to do due to the collapse of the silver birds, but still. I pressed my thoughts to the back of my mind as everyone went to their own thing. Trinity went to get the kids washed up and put to bed while Cyrus cleaned the dishes and whatnot. Stevie went back into his room to study, which left Laszlo and I all alone.

Surprisingly he asked me to follow him up to his office. "Here, I wanna give you this." He said and he handed me the black sweater he had been wearing earlier that day. "Why?" I asked him curiously. "I guess I'm just use to period clothing. I... I figured you might appreciate it instead." He said with a shy awkward laugh that made me smile. "Thanks." I replied happily as I took the sweater from him. "So... what do you really think about Jacob Portman?" He asked me curiously. "Well... I mean... he seems like a nice person. I just met him though, so... I really don't have a solid opinion yet." I said, and I was being completely honest. Laszlo nodded once before he walked closer towards me. "I know you haven't had much time to process everything, least of all your uncle's death. If you ever need someone to talk to or anything... don't hesitate to ask." He said with a soft look in his brown eyes. "Thank you, Laszlo... for everything." I said as I wrapped my arms around him and breathed in his comforting scent. We stayed up and talked for a while about books, music, and art. Around ten o'clock we said goodnight to each other and I walked towards my designated bedroom. I changed into a white nightgown and climbed into the cool covers. It didn't take me long to fall into a deep sleep.

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A/N: Thanks for reading!!


	17. Breaking Point

Jade's POV:

Weeks and weeks of training had gone by. Each week seemed to make me more tired than the last. Mostly because Miss Peregrine had transferred a hollow to Jacob Portman's home that we could use during my sessions with him. The more I tried to exercise my peculiar ability the weaker I felt, and I had a feeling that everyone else was starting to notice. "You need to relax, Jade. You have dark circles under eyes that make mine look nonexistent." Dr. Kreizler said. We had finished eating dinner and I insisted on staying up to listen to Cyrus play the piano. But my eyelids were beginning to feel heavy and I started to lean again the doctor a little. "He's right." Caleb said with a look of sympathy on his face. "What does Jacob have you doing during your training days anyway? From what I can see it's only making you weaker." Stevie said. The young man made it clear that he didn't trust Jacob a while ago.

Given what he had gone through in his life, he didn't seem like the type to trust easily. Especially when people he didn't trust brought strangers into his home and around his family. "I hate to admit it, but I'm starting to agree with Stevie. Ever since Miss Peregrine started taking her to see him, Jade has been more tired than I've ever seen her." John chipped in. The others exchanged looks that suggest long in depth conversations that were being discussed while I wasn't around. I could only imagine what they were about, but I didn't even have the energy to do that to be completely honest. "What is Miss Peregrine making Jacob teach you, Jade?" Dr. Kreizler asked with a mix of emotions in his beautiful brown eyes. "Well... they haven't told me that I'm not allowed to tell you guys what has been going on during my sessions. But...." I said, trailing off a bit. "But what?" Caleb asked. "They have another hollow. Apparently he is Jacob's hollow; one he has strong control of. Miss Peregrine wants Jacob to help me exercise my mental manipulation of hollowgasts." I said.

"No wonder you're so tired. Using so much mental energy can make someone feel drained." Sara said with a sympathetic look in her eyes. Stevie and John voiced their now somewhat shared opinions on the two new comers into our ranks. Everyone else just looked concerned, but there were other emotions I couldn't decipher. A few moments passed before Dr. Kreizler told me to follow him and I did as instructed. Something I've been doing a lot of lately. I hadn't even noticed that we had entered the my bedroom until the door closed behind us. "What are we doing in here for?" I asked. He told me to go ahead and change into my pajamas before turning his back so I could do so. Every part of my body felt heavy due to how tired I was. I didn't think I was going to get changed without falling down or something, but I managed it. Then I followed him to his room, which made me a little uncomfortable.

I never seen his room before, but it was truly him in every way. The dark green curtains were open as well as the window. It let in a nice little cool breeze that always seemed to blow through the windows at night. Then I noticed his big four poster bed that had a several pillows positioned where you'd lay your head. "Come here, you need rest and you need a comfortable bed to get the rest you desperately need." He said as he pulled down the covers to reveal the clean crisp sheets. I hesitated for a little bit before climbing I to bed... Dr. Kreizler's bed. When I was comfortable he placed the covers over my body and started to leave the room, but I quickly grabbed his hand before he could go. "Stay?" I said in a questioning tone. It made me feel like a child, but a small smile graced his handsome face briefly before he switched off the lights. The only thing lighting the room was the silvery moonlight filtering through the lace curtain that still covered the window from prying eyes.

He carefully laid down on top of the covers next to me. I moved as close to him as possible and nuzzled into him, which caused a soft yet rich chuckle to vibrate his chest. It made my insides feel so warm and I felt so safe with him. The combination of his rhythmic breathing and beating heart caused me to slowly drift off into a deep sleep. 'Another day of training.' I thought inside of my head as I walked out into Jacob's back yard. That strange tugging/aching sensation in my stomach was constantly present, especially since there was a hollow near us. I was a little nervous even though Miss. Peregrine had assured me that if anything went wrong Jacob would be there to help; He had a good mental grasp on the monster after all. "Alright, let's get started. Try to make him move his limbs a little like we've been practising." Jacob said in a kind tone of voice. I took a deep breath and tried to press all of my thoughts to the back of my mind.

I attempted to make the hollow at least move one of his long arms, but I couldn't. The words that was in my mind and coming out of my mouth were in English... not hollow speak. It made me so disappointed in myself. I felt like I was a failure which is how I've been feeling every day. I haven't been making any progress at all. "I can't do it. I just... I can't fucking do it!!" I said, feeling irritated with myself. "Yes, you can. Just keep trying but make sure you relax and focus on what you're trying to do." Jacob replied. I let out a defeated sigh before closing my eyes to try to do what he was telling me to do. I had no idea I even managed to control that hollow during my uncle Alfius's funeral. I couldn't shake the feeling that just got lucky. I took a few deep breaths of the cool air that always seemed to be present in that backyard. When I opened my eyes I looked straight into the hollowgast's black beady eyes. They were dripping black liquid that I could smell; the stench was making my stomach queasy.

But I tried not to let that bother me. "Move your arm." I said out loud as well as in my head. It took me a couple of times before I slipped into hollow speak, and eventually I managed to make one of the monster's arms twitch slightly. "Very good. See, we're making progress. Peculiar abilities are like muscles. They have to be exercised and conditioned to get better." Jacob said and I allowed myself to smile a little. Even though I was still upset that I wasn't able to fully control the beast as much as I had hoped I could. All of a sudden loud screams filled my ears and I was transported into the city. Children were screaming for help as thunderous footsteps came up from behind me. I turned around to see a huge hollowgast with several kids trapped in its tentacles. Each tentacle was wrapped around a boy or a girl who looked terrified and confused. Panic rose in my chest as I attempted to tell the hollow to stop, but every time I tried it didn't work.

The entire city was in chaos and that's when I realized that there was more than one monster roaming the streets of New York. There were three hollowgasts kidnapping children and taking their eyes... consuming their peculiar souls in an attempt to become human again. Tears filled my eyes and I helplessly stood there. Then the image of my eyeless uncle came to me. Blood was trailing down his face and he began to speak. "I'm disappointed in you, Jade. You couldn't save me and you can't even save these poor children." He said and let out an evil cackle as he transformed into Miss Peregrine. "You have brought shame to the peculiar world. You are no longer able to enter any loops, and if you're caught you will be prosecuted." She said as she slammed a gavel on a desk that wasn't even there.

Then everything changed once more. I was standing outside of Dr. Kreizler's home. All of my friends were standing on the porch looking sad, but none of them said anything. I noticed that I was slowly being dragging and pulled away from the house. I fought and tried my best to break free, but I couldn't. So I started yelling for help. I was begging my friends to help me but it seemed like they couldn't hear me, or they were ignoring my shouts. That's when I woke up with a jolt. Tears were streaming down my cheeks and I tried to speak but I couldn't. "Shhh, hey... hey... it's alright." A new but familiar voice said as a pair of arms were tightly wrapped around my body. "It's alright sweetheart. I'm here. I've got you." I realized it was Dr. Kreizler's voice and snuggled closer to him as he rubbed my back to comfort me. Loud knocking from the bedroom door caught my attention all of a sudden.

"Doctor, what's wrong?! We heard yelling and Jade isn't in her bedroom!" I heard Cyrus's deep voice say from the hallway. "It's right, Cyrus. Jade is in here with me, could you please bring me a glass of water?" Dr. Kreizler said just loud enough for our concerned friend to hear him. A few moments passed before Cyrus returned with a cold class of water. Once I drank the cold liquid I looked around to see that the others had followed him inside the room. Stevie was standing there with disheveled hair along with Trinity and Caleb. I was kind of surprised that Caleb had spent the night but I felt kind of grateful that he had for some reason. "What happened?" Stevie asked curiously as he rubbed his wide tired eyes. Kreizler told them that I had a nightmare, because I still wasn't able to talk; I had buried my head back into his chest and continued to sob quietly.

After they accepted the fact that I was okay, they left and went back to their rooms. But it took me a little longer to calmed down enough to wipe my tears away and blow my nose. "What were you dreaming about that made you so upset?" He said as he brushed some of my hair out of my face. His big brown eyes were filled with sympathy and concern. I told him about my dream and he left a warm kiss on my forehead. "None of that is going to happen, Jade. All the stress you've been under recently is what caused you to have such a cruel nightmare." He said softly as he held me close to his warm body. I breathed in his comforting scent and gently kissed his exposed collarbone. He was wearing his pajamas, but they were a bit rumpled from sleep so it gave me free access. The two of us eventually laid back down on the bed and I snuggled up to him as close as I could. I wasn't so sure that I'd be able to go back to sleep, but he whispered sweet words of comfort as he held me.

Once again I slowly fell asleep in Dr. Kreizler's arms. When I woke up I noticed that sunlight was filtering through the partially closed curtains. I stretched and rubbed the sleep from my eyes before I sat up in bed to talked in my surroundings. Kreizler wasn't in bed, which made me feel a little a sad. But I knew he was busy; he does have an institute to run. A light knock sounded from the door and I told whoever it was to come in. The door opened to reveal Trinity. She had a silver tray in her hands that has things on it. "Good morning, Jade. I hope you were able to sleep after what had happened last night." She said with a look of sympathy on her face and in her eyes. "Good morning. I did sleep fairly well after... all of that." I laughed slightly. "That's good. I'm really sorry that you had a nightmare. But hopefully that'll never happen again." She replied with a small smile of her own.

She sat the tray on the bedside table. That's when I noticed that there was a covered dish on it with a cup of steaming coffee. "The doctor told me to bring you breakfast. He wants you to just relax and try to get some rest; you deserve it after all." She said. I thanked her for the food and everything before she left the room. I picked up the tray and sat it on my lap before uncovered the dish. My stomach growled when I seem that Trinity had made me steak and eggs with toast. I took a sip of coffee before I started eating the wonderful food she cooked for me. Once I was finished eating I took my medicine. Then I walked into the bathroom to draw myself a bath. I figured the warm water would help me relax. After all of that, I took the tray of dirty dishes down into the kitchen where Trinity kindly washed them. Then I walked into the sitting room where Jasmine and Elijah were playing with some toys. Cyrus was softly playing the piano as well.

But as soon as he noticed me he stopped and turned to face me. "How are you doing this morning?" He asked me curiously. "I'm alright. I'm just a little tired because I didn't get much restful sleep." I said, being completely honest. It was like everyone felt bad that I woke up yelling from a nightmare, and it made me a little embarrassed. But I was grateful that my friends truly care about me. Cyrus went back to playing the piano while I watched Jasmine and Elijah play together in the middle of the room. A few minutes passed before Caleb entered the room. Again, he asked me if I was okay. I said that I was, which was true. I just hoped that tonight was able to sleep without having any nightmares.

"Laszlo contacted Jacob Portman and Miss Peregrine to let them know you need some time off." Caleb said after a few moments of comfortable silence. "But... I need to perfect my peculiar abilities. I need to lear how to control the monsters so I can save innocent people." I said somewhat desperately. All I wanted to do was prove that I actually deserved the abilities I was given. "What you need is to relax and rest. You've exerted your energy so much that you've reached a breaking point." Dr. Kreizler's voice said from the doorway. I didn't even realize that he had entered the room. When I turned to face him his eyes filled with sympathy but there was something very warm and different in his beautiful brown orbs as well. I wasn't sure what that something exactly was, but it made me feel good inside. As he walked further into the room Caleb moved over so Dr. Kreizler could sit next to me.

I kind of snuggled into his side causing a small smile to spread across his handsome face. "You two are so cute." Cyrus said with a huge smile on his face, and butterflies filled my stomach. I'm sure my cheeks were a little pink from embarrassment as well. I shyly glanced over at Kreizler and noticed that his face has turned a little pink as well, which only made the butterflies worse. All I wanted to do was hide and ignore the fact that everyone could see that I was a little flustered. "Aren't they?" Caleb said in a playful tone. Maybe they were just joking and kidding around to make me smile, but I couldn't ignore the way their words had made me feel. It kind of scared me in a way because I suddenly realized that I actually have feelings for Dr. Kreizler... like... real feelings for him. I couldn't help but wonder what I would do if I could never come back here to see him. If I couldn't see my friends here either. But I tried to press those thoughts to the back of my mind for the moment.

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A/N: I'm sorry for the long wait. I hope you enjoyed this chapter.


	18. Somethings Off

Jade's POV:

Thankfully Jacob and Miss Peregrine was okay with me taking two weeks off from peculiar training. But those two weeks seemed to fly by in no time. I was just glad that my friends were being so sweet and kind to me, although sometimes they went a little over the top. "If you need a break, tell him. I'm sure he wouldn't force you to keep going if you're exhausted." Caleb said as we ate a scrumptious breakfast that Trinity made for us all. Cyrus and Dr. Kreizler agreed. I knew they were right. I just felt like I was letting everyone down. "If he does make you keep trying to control that beast even when you're spent, he'll have me to answer to." Stevie said with a hint of anger in his tone. "There's no need for violence, Stevie." Dr. Kreizler said with a look in his eyes that I couldn't decipher. A moment of uncomfortable silence settled down around us before Caleb broke the silence. He said that he and I needed to get going if we wanted to be to my training session in time. I grabbed my backpack and walked towards the front door. I stood there as I waited on Caleb to gather his things.

Jasmine and Elijah came up to me and handed me homemade good luck cards as well as a little bouquet of flowers, which brought a smile to my face. "I grew them myself. I hope you like them." Elijah said with an adorable smile. "They're beautiful, thanks. And I really appreciate the good luck cards; I can use all the luck I can get." I said which seemed to make both of them happy. Dr. Kreizler walked towards us with a small smile on his handsome face. "Go on and play. I'm sure Caleb will be down any minute to take Jade to the modern day." He said sweetly to the two young children. They ran off into the sitting room, leaving the doctor and I alone. I smelled the beautiful flowers as the two of us quietly stood there. "Do you remember what I taught you?" Kreizler asked in a hushed tone. "Yeah, I remember." I replied. "Just think of that if you feel overwhelmed today. All of this hard work will pay off even if doesn't seem like it will." He said as he tucked a stray strand of my hair behind my ear. His thumb barely brushed against my cheek, giving me butterflies. I'm pretty sure I blushed a little too.

He seemed like he was going to say something more, but the sound of Caleb coming downstairs stopped him. "Could you put these in water for me? I know if I take them with me they'll age forward and... well..." I drifted off. I really didn't want to think about what they'd become if they did age forward. "Of course." Dr. Kreizler said as he took the flowers from me. I glanced at the cards before handing them to him as well. We said our goodbyes before Caleb and I left. When I entered the present day I suddenly felt detached and out of place. It didn't even feel like my world anymore even though I've grown up in modern times. I guess 1898 just feels more like home now to me. The two of us got in his car and headed towards Jacob's home. Deep down I had a feeling that Miss Peregrine was going to be there. I wasn't sure why, but I just did. Maybe it was because of the whole break thing. "Hey, are you alright?" Caleb's voice broke through my inner thoughts. "I don't know." I replied, which was the truth. "Listen... I know you feel like you're letting people down, but you aren't." He said.

"I just don't understand why they don't just let Jacob hunt down the escaped hollowgast. He's much more skilled than I am and he's stronger." I said, feeling a little defeated. "Because it's better if there's more than one hollow hunter out here in the peculiar world. We need him to train you so then both of you can go out looking for the escaped hollow." He said and it did make sense. It would be a lot easier for two people working together than just one. But I did think they were putting a lot of effort into training me when they could be out there searching for the traitors. The wights and rouge silver birds members who stole the hollow I helped capture. 'They could be doing all of that already. They have a lot of people working for them.' I thought as the car ride went on. After what felt like forever we made it to our destination. To my relief Miss Peregrine wasn't there when we arrived, and I hoped she wouldn't show up at all during my training session.

Caleb knocked on the door and Jacob came to open it a few seconds or so later. "How are you feeling, Jade? I'm very sorry if I was over working you." He said with sympathy and a hint of regret in his eyes. "I'm alright." I replied with a slight shrug of my shoulders. The three of us talked for a bit before Caleb left, but he promised he'd be back to take me back home later. Jacob and I talked as we walked into his back yard. That strange feeling in my stomach got stronger the closer I was to the caged hollow. Seeing the beast was like a reminder of all of my failed attempts. It was a reminder of Alfius and the night I found his dead body. Even though I felt hatred towards the beast, I couldn't bring myself to be angry with it. It wasn't the hollow that took my uncle's life. "Alright, you know what to do. Just go ahead and give it a try whenever you feel ready." Jacob said with a reassuring look. I nodded once before turning my attention back onto the hollow.

I did the usual exercises and tried to make the monster move one of his arms, but it didn't work. I kept trying and nothing happened. I was starting to feel angry at myself. But then I took a few deep breaths and tried to remember what Dr. Kreizler had taught me during my break. "Breath. Breath." The doctor's voice said inside of my head. I closed my eyes and pretended that he was there with me comforting me and trying to help me stay calm. I did as his voice told me to do. I took a few slow deep breaths to regulate my heart beat. Once my mind was at ease I opened my eyes again and I preformed the exercises that Jacob had taught me. The Hollow lifted its arm like I told it to. "You did it!" Jacob said excitedly. I couldn't help the huge smile that spread across my face. I felt to happy and so proud that I was even able to achieve such a small little thing. But if it wasn't for Dr. Kreizler I don't think I could have done what I did. All I needed to do was clear my mind so I could focused on the creature's.

By the end of the training session I was speaking hollowgast language verbally and nonverbally. We were so excited over my sudden quick progress that I hadn't even realized that we skipped lunch. So Jacob made some snacks for us to eat. We shared them with Caleb too when he came to pick me up. I told him everything that happened, which made him happy too. "We'll have to tell Miss Peregrine." Caleb said before he took a sip of the lemonade Jacob had given us. "Yes, but not after I have Jade practice a bit more. I want to make sure she can do everything when she's in the middle of a crisis." Jacob said. I didn't blame him for wanting to make sure I could keep a cool head in a crisis, especially since it took me so long to even do anything. "Why? Shouldn't she know that we're making progress?" Caleb asked with a confused look in his face. "Miss Peregrine wants Jade to enter the line of duty as soon as there any progress made. I'm not putting her in ant dangerous situations because Miss Peregrine wants this matter resolved quickly, yembryne or not." He replied.

The two of them looked at each other in such an emotionless way that it made me uncomfortable. I remembered the way Caleb acted when Dr. Kreizler said that not all yembrynes know best, and I thought that something like that was going to happen. Or maybe something worse was about to go down. "I'm fine with more practice. It's best if I know I can control a hollows mind under most circumstances. Otherwise I might just be a danger to people." I said, breaking the tension. Jacob and I agreed to meet again tomorrow instead of going by our usual training schedule. A fact that Caleb didn't seem to like, but he remained silent. We said our goodbyes before we left Jacob's home. The car ride was eerily silent. The whole situation made me uncomfortable, but I wasn't sure what to say or do to change that. So I just turned on the radio and stared out of the window. Occasionally I'd glance over at Caleb, who was focused on the road. A few minutes passed before my phone buzzed in my pocket.

Being in the 19th century for a while made me forget I even had some cellphone to be honest. I looked at my phone and seen that I had a couple missed calls, but they were only from yesterday. That way I didn't feel too guilty; they were from my parents after all. But then I noticed that there was a text from Jacob. 'I wonder what he wants.' I thought inside of my head as I opened his message.

Jacob: Hey, I think you should have Dr. Kreizler keep an eye on Caleb. I don't want him telling Miss Peregrine or any officials anything until I say so.

Me: Okay, but I'm not sure if that's going to prevent anything. If she does find out we'll just have to stand up to Miss Peregrine and the others.

Jacob: That's what I'm fearing. If we stand up to them they can keep you from visiting your friends. I don't want that for you.

What he said in that last message was like my worst nightmare had just came to life. Not being able to see my friends is something I've been afraid of ever since I met them. 'Come on, Jade. You have to be strong and do what is right.' I thought inside of my head.

Me: Alright, I'll try my best. But I can't promise anything.

Jacob: That's all I'm asking of you.

"Who are you taking to?" Caleb asked, causing a rush of anxiety to fill my stomach. "My parents." I lied. "How are they doing? I haven't spoken to them since the funeral." He replied. I told him that my parents were doing good and suggested that I call them when we reached the cafe. Besides, I did need to return their call or they would start to worry. When I called my mom she asked me how New York was and whatnot. It was like a basic checking in type of call. Once we said our goodbyes I shut my phone off and put it into my backpack before we went through the time loop. The sky was darkening just as it was in the present that we just came from. I really hoped that dinner was ready, because I was hungry already even after having the snacks at Jacob's place. 'That's what you get when you forget to eat lunch.' I thought as we reached the doctor's home. We walked right in because we arrived at the same moment as the Isaacson brothers.

We said our hellos before we joined everyone in the sitting room. Cyrus was playing piano while Trinity played with her children alongside Sara Howard. Stevie was talking with John Moore near the open window, which let in a nice breeze. "Where's Dr. Kreizler?" Marcus asked no on in particular. "He's cooking dinner tonight. He said I needed a break from all of my duties around here." Trinity said with a smile. "Let's just hope whatever he cooks can be consumed." John joked, which earned some laughs from our group. I sat my backpack near the couch as there was a crash in the kitchen, followed by some German cursing. I didn't know what Dr. Kreizler had said, but I doubted they were anything nice. "It sounds like he might need some help. Maybe I should go and check on him." I said before leaving the room. When I walked into the kitchen I found Kreizler sweeping up some broken glass. The whole time he was muttering in German. "Hello chef Kreizler." I said, catching his attention.

A beautiful smile spread across his face when we made eye contact. "I don't think my skills could be called chef worthy." He replied with a cute little laugh as he threw the broken glass away. I grabbed a spoon and dipped it into one of the sauces he had been making. After making sure it wasn't too hot I tasted it. "Oh my god! That tastes amazing!" I said. His face turned a little pink in embarrassment. "Thank you." He replied with that cute smile of his. I offered to help and he put me to work. I ended up telling him that I made huge progress during training, which made him happy. "I told you you could do it." He said and I smiled. When dinner was ready I assisted in taking the food into the dinning room. Lucius and Marcus offered to help as well. Once everything was ready we sat down and started eating. I shared my training experience from today with my friends, and something seemed to come over Caleb. He took a big gulp of wine before he called for everyone's attention.

To my surprise he mentioned what Jacob had said today about Miss Peregrine. Everyone exchanged curious and slightly worried looks. "Does she want to put Jade in danger? Or is it the others?" John asked. "It seems like they've been hiding things from us." Sara said, and Kreizler agreed. A few moments passed where we all just wasn't sure what to say. But our attention soon returned to the delicious food that the doctor had made. Everyone gave him complements, which made him a little uncomfortable. But the conversation turned serious again when Trinity took the kids to bed. I hoped that Miss Peregrine was trying to reason with her colleagues rather than share their own views. Because of she did the latter, then we all could be put into a very dangerous situation.

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A/N: Thanks for reading!!


	19. Dinner Interrupted

Jade's POV:

Three months passed before Jacob felt that I was ready to go hollow hunting. Not only did we train regarding my peculiar ability, but we also trained how to shoot crossbows and various different firearms. He said that we couldn't just rely on peculiar abilities only because wights use guns and many different varieties of weapons. Spring had quickly turned into summer in the present day. It felt like it was a thousand times hotter than the heat I had gotten use to in the time loop. That was probably due to all of the added humidity from the expensive pavement and skyscrapers, not to mention global warming. Time had really flew by; it was like just yesterday I arrived in New York to visit my uncle, yet it also felt like years had passed as well. A lot have stuff had happened in my life in just a few months. Sometimes I still wonder if all of this is just happening inside of my head. But I knew all too well that I wasn't dreaming.

"Do you think your friends will like me? I mean... Caleb seems pretty cool, but I couldn't really read Dr. Kreizler much when I met him." Jacob said as he caged his hollowgast. Today is my last day of training and the doctor suggested that I invite Jacob to dinner tonight. "I think they'll like you, although Stevie has a somewhat tainted imagine of you in his mind. I'm sure you can change that tonight though hopefully." I said. I really hoped that my friends would accept Jacob as one of their own, or at least as an ally. "I hope so. From what you've said about them they're all seem like great people." He replied with a small smile. "They are." I said with a smile of my own. We walked inside of his house to cool off in the air conditioning as we waited in Caleb to come pick us up. Jacob could have driven us to the cafe where the loop entrance was, but I preferred Caleb to take us instead. The two of us talked for a while about random stuff to pass the time.

I heard tires on the gravel driveway and I figured it was Caleb. I grabbed my backpack and Jacob got his overnight bag. We walked outside before the car was parked and Jacob locked the house behind him. "You can sit up front with me if you'd like. I'm sure Jade wouldn't mind sitting in the back." Caleb said. I was fine with sitting in the back; it allowed them some time to talk and get to know each other a little more. I looked out of the window and watched as the wooded scenery gradually turned into cityscape. Eventually we reached our destination and entered the 1800's once more. Jacob was looking around to take everything in, much like I did when I first entered the time loop. "I've been to so many times in history, but there's something very magical about this place." He said. I couldn't help the smile that spread across my face as I looked around also. The sun was a bright red-orange strip on the horizon, giving everything a lovely glow. He was right, there was something magical about this place.

When we reached the doctor's home we entered the front doors and the aroma of delicious food met my nose. My mouth started to water and my stomach growled a little as well. John and Sara were helping Trinity and Stevie in the kitchen. So I introduced Jacob to Cyrus, the Isaacson brothers, and Dr. Kreizler. The group asked the young man questions about how he discovered he was a hollow hunter and whatnot. "I'm going to see if they need help in the kitchen." Caleb said and I nodded in reply. I sat down in my usual seat and listened to them talk, but I couldn't quite keep my eyes off of Laszlo. My feelings for him have only grown and I wondered if I should tell him how I feel. There area few things holding me back from doing so. One of them was the fear of ruining our friendship. The other is the fact that he probably still has feelings for his lost love, Mary Palmer. I didn't want to seem rude or insensitive to his loss. Especially since they had confessed their love for each other not long before she was brutally killed.

'I should just wait until the right time.' I thought inside of my head. But then again... I didn't want to wait until it was too late. 'You'll know when it's the right time.' I said inside of my head. A few moments passed before dinner was ready. Another round of introductions were made before we dug into the delicious meal that was prepared for all of us. We talked about my training as well as many other things. Stevie seemed like he was warming up to Jacob a little. I think the fact that Jacob's parents didn't accept him after finding out he was peculiar did the trick. That was something Stevie could kinda relate to, especially since his mother used him to get drugs and money before he ran away from home. When we finished eating we helped clean up. Trinity put Jasmine and Elijah to bed before heading out cups of hot coffee to everyone. We were in good spirits until someone knocked heavily on the front door.

We all looked at each other with wide eyes and slightly confused expressions. "Who could that be?" John asked with furrowed brows. "I'm not sure." Laszlo replied. Cyrus offered to check and see. The Isaacson brothers and Sara had their fire arms at the ready in case things went south. But there wasn't any commotion or sounds of alarm. Our tall friend came back in with Miss Peregrine by his side, which kind of surprised us all a little. Mostly because no one was expecting here. "I think I have some things I need to share with you all. I hoped that they could wait until morning, but that isn't possible." She said as Cyrus pulled up a chair for her. Trinity offered her a cup of coffee, but she asked for something stronger. John poured a glass of bourbon and handed it to her. After she had taken a few gulps of the liquid she started telling us why she had come at such a late hour.

She told us that they had located where the wights and rouge silver bird members were keeping the escaped hollowgast. Apparently they were hiding in a loop and that's why there weren't any new dead or missing children cased in the present day. "We should go get them then! What are we doing waiting around?!" John said. "Because Jacob and Jade will have to come with me... alone." Miss Peregrine said with a look in her eyes that I couldn't decipher. My friends made protests but Laszlo stopped them. "She's right. We won't be able to go with them; we'll age forward and then we won't be of much use." He said, which made the others get very quiet. "When do we need to go?" Jacob asked, breaking the silence. "First thing tomorrow morning I'm afraid." Miss Peregrine replied. There were some more protests from my friends, most of which were from Sara.

But I made it clear that Jacob and I had to do this. It wasn't their fight to get involved with. I didn't want them getting hurt. I didn't want them to come along and have to watch them age forward to inevitably cease to exist. They were safe in their loop. And if any wights did enter the loop they could fight them off. Everyone's moods had changed drastically when Miss Peregrine left. Jacob was shown to a bedroom he could sleep in for the night. I went to my room as well, but the sound of a light knock on my door caught my attention. "Come in." I said. The door opened and Laszlo stepped inside. "I hope I'm not being too forward when I say that... I'd... I'd very much like it if you would spend the night with me." He said shyly. Since I was already changed into my pajamas I followed him to his bedroom and climbed underneath the soft covers. He switched off the lights before he joined me. When we found each other I snuggled into his side and wrapped my arms around him. It didn't take me long to fall into a deep sleep.

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A/N: Thanks for reading!!


	20. The Council

Jade's POV:

I woke up to someone gently shaking me awake. When I rubbed the sleep from my eyes I noticed that it was Jacob. "We have to go. Caleb said that Miss Peregrine is downstairs waiting for us." He said in a hushed tone. I figured he checked my room first, and when he noticed so wasn't there he checked Dr. Kreizler's room. "What about the others? Are they awake too?" I asked curiously as I stretched slightly. "Trinity and Dr. Kreizler are. They're making us breakfast." He said before he left the room. I walked to where I should have been sleeping, and changed out of my pajamas. Everything I needed was packed and ready for our journey. I felt so nervous about leaving my friends behind, but I knew I didn't have any other choice. 'As long as they're safe... that's all that matters.' I kept saying inside of my head as I walked downstairs. I walked into the kitchen where Caleb, Laszlo, Trinity, Miss Peregrine, and Jacob were. The smell of freshly baked bread, coffee, steak, and eggs made my stomach growl a little. We said our hellos as I sat down at the table next to Jacob. Trinity handed he and I steaming cups of coffee as well as a plates full of food. We thanked her and started eating as I tried listening to the others.

Caleb and Laszlo were both talking to Miss Peregrine in hushed tones. I glanced at Jacob, and he glanced towards the three of them briefly so I did the same. Caleb was leaning against the wall with his arms folded across his chest. Dr. Kreizler's back was facing me, and I couldn't see Miss Peregrine's face either. But I'm sure both of them looked as serious as Caleb did. "How are you two feeling this morning?" Trinity asked in a hushed tone as she sat down in front of Jacob and I. "Alright, just tired. I didn't sleep well last night." Jacob said after taking a drink of coffee. "I'm tired and a little nervous. To be honest I... I'm worried." I admitted awkwardly before taking a bite of steak. I opened up about the way I was worried that my friends wouldn't be safe here in their loop. I was also afraid that something might happen to Jacob, Miss Peregrine, Caleb, and I. "I'm sure you'll be fine. All of you are strong peculiars, and there's no reason for you to worry about us. We'll be able to protect ourselves." Trinity said with a small smile. Her words kind of made me feel a bit better; they certainly let me eat my food without feeling like I was going to be sick. I ended up finishing my plate of food and drank two cups of coffee. Jacob did the same, which caught the attention of the others.

"How are you feeling this morning?" Dr. Kreizler asked as he sat down next to me. "Okay." I replied, even though it wasn't completely true. I could tell he didn't believe me either from the look in his big brown eyes. Trinity handed out coffee and plates of food to the others, although Miss Peregrine wanted tea. All of us made small talk even though I didn't feel like talking. Jacob didn't seem like he felt like talking either. Laszlo kept glancing over at me with a curious look. I was a little surprised when he gently grabbed my hand underneath the table, which calmed my nerves down a little. I gave him a little smile and he smiled back at me. After they finished eating the sky just started to get lighter. "We better get going." Miss Peregrine said. Jacob and I glanced at each other before we both stood up. The two of us followed her and Caleb into the foyer. Dr. Kreizler and Trinity followed close behind us as well. I put my backpack on as we said our goodbyes. Hugs were given all around. They even hugged Jacob. "Tell Cyrus and the others I said goodbye." I said feeling bad that he and Stevie didn't get to say their goodbyes to us. Same goes for John, Sara, and the Isaacson brothers. "We will." Trinity and Laszlo said at the same time. They gave us words of encouragement as we walked outside into the fading night.

It felt like it took half the time it usually does to get to the loop entrance. We changed into our modern clothes before entering the modern world. After we left the cafe successfully, we entered a black car that was waiting on us. Miss Peregrine took the passenger seat while Caleb got into the drivers seat. That left the back for Jacob and I. Both of our phones started blowing up with notifications now that were no longer in the 1800's. "Turn your phones off. They could be tracking us." Caleb said. We did as we were told, which meant that I couldn't listen to music. So I just stared out of the window and watched as the sky got lighter and lighter. I wasn't sure if we were heading to the loop the wights and hollows were, or if we were going somewhere else. Either way I just really missed Dr. Kreizler and my other friends. I started feeling nervous again, so I opened my bag and pulled out the blanket Cyrus gave me. I wrapped myself up and relaxed into my comfy seat. I didn't realize I fell asleep until Jacob woke me up. After rubbing my eyes and stretching, I looked outside to see that we were somewhere I didn't recognize. We were parked on the side of a deserted street by an abandoned building. It looked as if it had been abandoned for centuries.

"Where are we?" I asked as I sleepily rose up and noticed that everyone was still in the vehicle. "We're at what once was Dr. Kreizler's institute. The city never tore it down." Caleb replied. "It made a great place to hide a loop from non peculiars." Miss Peregrine added. A moment of silence passed between us before anyone spoke up. "Shall we?" She asked, implying that we should go through the loop. My nerves kicked back in again as I folded the blanket Cyrus gifted me, and put it back into my bag. All of us stepped out onto the asphalt at the same time. Jacob and I moved a little slower than the other two. I was taking in my surroundings. The decrepit building evoked sadness within me as I remembered the last time I visit the Kreizler Institute back in the loop we came from. Instead of it being filled with children's laughter, it was silent and ghostly. The early morning sunrise didn't make the place look much better either. I took my backpack with me as we approached the structure. Each one of us were totally silent as we got closer. I was trusting Miss Peregrine not to lead us astray. I'm sure she was trusting Jacob and I to be putting our hallow hunting skills to good use.

Eventually we made it inside. The place smelled of damp earth along with a few other human scents such as urine. Caleb used a flashlight he had brought with him so we could see in the darkness. All around us were signs that this place was being use as a drug den. "Hell of a place to have a loop entrance." I muttered under my breath as we avoided fallen bricks, broken glass, and used syringes. After what felt like hours we eventually reached what looked like an old bedroom. I was surprised that the stairs were in good enough conditions for us to even make it to the top floor. "Here, just through this wardrobe is the entrance." Miss Peregrine said. I couldn't help the laugh that escaped my lips. She looked at me strange because of my reaction. "It's like The Lion, the witch, and the wardrobe by C.S.S. Lewis." I replied, but it was obvious that she didn't know what I was talking about. "It's a book." Caleb and Jacob said at the same time. The awkward moment passed as we stepped into the wardrobe and entered the loop. It felt a little different compared to entering the loop my friends were in. It wasn't as noticeable, which meant it was a fairly new time loop. When we stepped out of the wardrobe, we were back in the old decrepit institute.

"So... where are we going... exactly?" I said in a hushed tone. I wanted to be quiet in case there were any wights nearby. "We're going to meet the council of yembrynes. We have to organize a plan before we go find the hollow that was taken." Miss Peregrine said. Something inside of me wanted to turn and run back. I didn't want to meet the council of yembrynes, mostly from what Dr. Kreizler had said about them. Not to mention the way they treated Trinity. I wasn't sure I could stand being in a room full of people who didn't think my friend was a worthy yembryne. And their views of Dr. Kreizler didn't help me view them in a better light. Thankfully Miss Peregrine didn't seem to share the other's views on them. Otherwise I wouldn't have agreed to come along with her. Caleb shot me a glance that said 'don't do anything rash.' I had no intentions of doing anything that might jeopardize my standing in the piculiardom world, but I wasn't going to sit there and listen to them bashing my friends. I don't care if they are the leaders of piculiardom. As we exited the abandoned building, we reached the sidewalk and walked up the street a ways. After that we got into another car. We spent the rest of the day driving to upstate New York. A place I wasn't familiar with; thankfully Caleb was.

My stomach started growling and I checked the time on the digital display in the car. It was already three o'clock in the afternoon. "Can we stop somewhere for something to eat?" I asked. I was starting to feel sick; I was getting cold sweats and I was feeling weak. Those were the signs that my blood sugar was getting low, which is dangerous. If it got too low I could go into a coma or die. "We have to keep going. There isn't much time we have to spare." Miss Peregrine said. "Well, the council can just wait. She's diabetic; she has to eat three meals a day." Caleb said with a slight edge to his tone. A few more minutes went by before he pulled into a small diner. We all got out of the car and headed inside even though Miss Peregrine looked a little uneasy. The four of us sat down at a booth near the back of the place, just so we were the farthest from the other customers. A dark skinned man walked up to us and handed out menus for us to look at. The bronze colored name tag said Ivan on it. "What can I get you all to drink?" He asked, holding a notepad and pen at the ready. Jacob, and I both ordered coffee while Miss Peregrine ordered a hot tea. Caleb ordered a root beer, making me think of Stevie. I haven't been away from them long but I already missed them.

All I could really do was think about them. 'You can't let your friends down, Jade. They put so much time in helping you adapt to so many new changes. You can't let Jacob down either. He spent countless weeks helping you strengthen your peculiar abilities.' I thought inside of my head. But no matter what I kept saying to myself, I still wasn't sure if we would get that hallow back, or if we'd put those rogue agents and wights behind bars. I drank my coffee and ate my food when it came. I ordered a hamburger with fries since I needed calories. Neither one of us talked as we ate. The atmosphere was full of awkward tension and nervous energy. Thankfully I started feeling a lot better once I had eaten, and soon we were back on the road again. Minutes felt like hours as the sun got lower and lower in the sky. I started wondering if we were ever going to make it to our destination. But Jacob occupied my attention by telling me stories about his friends. Apparently one of them just so happened to be Millard Nullings, the author of the book I bought when I first came to New York. He was in fact totally invisible. Then there was Huge who had bees living inside of his stomach, Emma who could make flames spark in her hands. Bronwyn had the strength of ten men, and Enoch could raise the dead or bring life to inanimate objects.

Plus there were many more. Horace with his prophetic dreams and Olive who would float away into the heavens without her lead boots, etc. I think he was feeling a bit nervous himself, and that's why he was telling me all of this. It was very interesting though. It filled the time very well. The sun had vanished and the sky had turned an inky black; it had been dark for some time before Caleb turned into a gravel road. Eventually he parked the car, but he didn't shut the engine off just yet. In the headlights I could see a massive house that looked like gothic mansion. The only lights that were on from the inside were the lower floor. 'They're in there now... waiting on us.' I thought inside of my head. My stomach did that spinning thing like it had done during my training with Jacob. "We won't be discussing any plans tonight." I said. "What do you mean?" Miss Peregrine asked in confusion. "She's right. They're already here." Jacob said. An eerie silence filled the vehicle as Caleb killed the engine and the headlights went dark. This was it. This was the moment I had been training for.

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A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Thanks for reading!!


	21. A Trap

Jade's POV:

The four of us sat silently in the car trying to think of what we were going to do. I didn't see how we were going to get out of this without anyone getting hurt. "We'll just have to go in there and hope one of you are able to control the hollowgast, so it doesn't kill us." Miss Peregrine said. "No pressure or anything." Caleb said sarcastically. I glanced at Jacob, who gave me an encouraging look. Miss Peregrine was right though. We didn't really have any other choice but to go inside and hope for the best. There wasn't a doubt in my mind that they were holding the yembrynes hostage. 'But what for, and why?' I wondered as we got out of the car. Each of us shut our doors as quietly as possible. The only sound was coming from our footsteps in the gravel driveway. Miss Peregrine went first and used the bird shaped knocker that was on door. A few moments passed before someone eventually opened it to let us in. "Good evening, Miss Avocet. I'm deeply sorry that we are late." She said to the older woman who stood in front of us. Miss Avocet had on a deep blue colored dress that made her almost purely white hair stand out. There was fear in her blue colored eyes. I couldn't help but feel sorry for her and everyone else in that house. My anxiety felt like it was going to kill me, but I knew I had to try and stay calm. Otherwise this would be a disaster.

'Just do what Dr. Kreizler told you to do to help you relax.' I said inside of my head as Miss Avocet lead us into the house, locking the door behind us. The whole time I noticed we were walking in the direction of where my inner hollow detectors were pointing. The older lady opened large double doors that lead into a huge dinning room. My nerves spiked a little when I seen what was inside. Around the big dinning table were several yembrynes, most of which looked just as old as Miss Avocet. But there were a couple of younger ones present amongst them. "Ah, what a pleasure to meet you all again, especially you... Miss Summers." A sickly family voice filled my ears. My eyes landed on Lacy, with her pale skin and blood red lips. Her and half of the silver birds that were at Alfius's funeral were present. 'Traitors!' I thought. "As you can see we've all been waiting for you." She said with a infuriating smirk on her face. "What do you want? How could you betray us like this and side with the wights?" Miss Peregrine said. There was anger and hint of disbelief in her voice. "That's simple my dear naive Alma Peregrine. They offered me power, something you and the council of yembrynes never wanted me to achieve. Year by year I watched others less qualified than me advance their careers; I finally had enough!" Lacy replied with a crazed look in her eyes.

While the two of them talked I allowed myself to calm down as much as I could. It was quite difficult since there was a great deal of pressure on me. But I knew it would be easier to penetrate this particular hollow's mind, because I had done it once before. Jacob told me that it's a lot easier to penetrate a hollow's mind after you've done it before. Apparently there's less resistance for some reason. So I took a few deep breaths before attempting to communicate with the hollow in hollow speak. I failed a couple of times, but eventually I managed to speak the creatures own language. I didn't even have to do it verbally, which was a plus. If the other's had heard me they would have taken measures to stop me. There was chains around the hollow's neck and one of the ex silver birds members was holding it like a leash. So I told the hollow to unlock it with its tentacles. It took a few moments, but the beast was successful; I made sure to tell it to let the chains down carefully on the floor so no one heard them. Everyone was so focused on Lacy's little power speech to even take notice. Just to make sure I had full control I made the hollow do some little moves that were simple. And then I felt the click.

It was like my brain and its brain were one. So much so that when I reached up to scratch my face it did the same thing. A few more minutes passed. I wasn't entirely sure when I should let the hollow go crazy on our enemies. "Now." Jacob whispered so I was the only one to hear him. The hollow everything I told it to do. It wrapped a strong tentacle around each of their necks as delicately as possible, so they wouldn't feel it. I was surprised none of them knew the hollow was doing something, especially since the stench of its mouth was so overpowering in a closed room like this. On the could of three the hollow lifted them up into the air, rendering them somewhat useless. "RUN! GET OUT WHILE YOU CAN!! MAKE SURE THEY'RE SAFELY OUTSIDE!!" Jacob yelled ordered to Miss Peregrine and Caleb. Each of them hurried the other yembrynes outside and onto the front lawn as quickly as they could. Just as the last of them left, one of the wights grabbed their gun and shot at the hollow. It did little to no damage to the beast, but I made sure he quickly knocked the weapon out of the wight's hand. Jacob ran to retrieve it and pointed it at Lacy, who seemed to be the leader of the group.

"You forget that she's a hollow hunter like me, didn't you?" He said, breaking the silence that had settled down around us. "No. I didn't forget. I'd you can believe it, I actually thought I could persuade you both to join us." She managed to croak out with the hollow's grip on her neck. "Well... you were wrong." Jacob said with all seriousness in his expression. The hollow's beady black eyes leaked their inky tears, which added to the horrible smell that was already present. Drool was flowing out of its mouth as well. Apparently the wights hadn't been feeding him since they gained ownership of the monster. That was a bad mistake. "What should we do with them?" I asked Jacob. I had half a mind to let the hollowgast eat them, just to make sure they couldn't break out of prison. But just as I asked the question, Miss Peregrine and Miss Avocet walked back inside. "They will be taken into custody so they can answer to their crimes." Miss Peregrine said. "You've done very well children. Now it's time for us to take legal action against them." Miss Avocet said with a proud look on her aged face. "They aren't children anymore Miss Avocet. Not by a long shot." Miss Peregrine said with pride on her face and in her voice.

I think it was the first time I really saw her smile. The yembrynes tied up loose ends after the hollow was safely caged up. We were shown to bedrooms on the second floor. Jacob and I went into Caleb's room to talk and discuss what had happened while he was outside. A young yembryne knocked on the door and offered us sandwiches and tea for a late supper. The tree of us ate and drank until we were full. "I knew you'd be able to do it, Jade. You're a lot stronger than you think." Jacob said with a small smile. "He's right. Alfius would be proud." Caleb said with a warm look in his eyes. Their words made me feel a little uncomfortable, but they made me smile nonetheless. Around four o'clock we eventually went to our separate rooms to get some rest. It really had been a long and stressful day. So when I got underneath the covers I wasn't surprised that I quickly fell into a deep sleep. The next morning I woke up at ten thirty. After I showered and got dressed, I went downstairs to find the others having brunch. I quickly filled my plate with food and my cup with fresh coffee. Yembrynes thanked us, and I went back to feeling awkward again. "You've come a long way for recently just discovering your peculiar abilities." A young looking yembryne said to me.

"Well, you have Jacob and Dr. Kreizler to thank for that. Without them I don't think last night would have been as successful." I replied. Some of them exchanged looks at the mention of Dr. Kreizler. "If there's anything we can do to repay you, just mention it." Miss Avocet said to fill the awkward moment. I sat there and thought for a moment. "Well... actually... there is one thing that comes to mind." I said. Caleb looked at me kind of strange, but I only smiled in return. That one thing was making it official that Trinity was in fact a legitimate yembryne. That meant she could do whatever any officially trained yembryne could do without facing any ramifications. I was so happy that Miss Avocet organized an official ceremony and everything for her. Afterwards my friends and I had a celebration party at Dr. Kreizler's place. Sara, John, and the Isaacson brothers were the cooks for the occasion. By the looks of John's flower covered attire I assumed that he must have got on Sara's nerves one way or another. It was actually quite amusing. Everyone smiled and laughed the whole day. And Cyrus treated us with marvelous music as well as lovely singing.

All of us ended up sitting outside in the back yard. We watched Jasmine and Elijah play in the soft grass. Caleb sat down next to me as I enjoyed the golden rays of the late afternoon sun. "So... what are you going to do now? The hollow is captured and so are the wights." Caleb said after a few moments of comfortable silence. "I'm going to live in both worlds. This is where my friends are, and there's no way I'm leaving them even if I do rely on modern technology due to my medical condition." I replied. "Well... I was just curious, because if you want you can continue to live with me. I mean... I live alone after all and I've become accustomed to having you around." He said somewhat awkwardly. "I'd be delighted to continue living with you, Caleb. You're a part of my family now. Even if we aren't blood related." I said with a smile, and he smiled in return. I knew my parents would miss me... but... we haven't been very close for a long time. And there was no way they'd understand anything that has happened to me. It's best if they live far away from it.

Elijah and Jasmine came running up to us, and coaxed Caleb into playing with them. Stevie was recruited by them as well. As the evening went on the sun got lower in the sky, and we all helped to get dinner ready. Eventually Dr. Kreizler and I ended up alone, because we offered to clean up after we ate. Everyone else stayed in the sitting room to enjoy Cyrus's piano playing. "Caleb told me that you plan on staying in New York. That's wonderful." He said as we washed the dishes. "Yeah, I decided to stay in the city so I could come visit you guys whenever I wanted to." I replied with a smile, and he smiled back. "I was actually curious if you'd like to help at the institute. The children really enjoyed the time they spent with you, and I think it would be great for their development. Obviously, you don't have to join me at the institute if you don't want to." He said with a small little laugh. I wasn't sure why but he seemed as if he was nervous about asking me to help at the institute. Maybe it's because the two of us had gotten close in such a short amount of time, or something. "I'd love to, especially if it will help your students. Besides, I know you probably have a massive workload on your shoulders." I said, and he seemed to brighten. I was looking forward to my future here in piculiardom. Especially since I was going to be working with the best psychologist in the world.

I never expected my life would turn into anything close to a fantasy novel, but it had. I knew I had to keep everything about the peculiar world a secret, but that's the gift of writing fiction. I could tell everyone a version of what had happened and no one would think it was real. Well... some people wouldn't think it was real. I have great friends and a great life, even if there are aspects of my old life that I wish I would have gotten to keep. Alfius was one of those things. But I'm a believer that everything happens for a reason, but maybe that's just something I say to cope with guilt I felt over his death. I pressed my thoughts to the back of my mind as Laszlo and I walked into the sitting room to join the others. After all of that chaos, everything was as peaceful and as happy as I could have ever imagined life could be.

THE END

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A/N: Thanks for reading!! I really hope you all enjoyed this story.


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